Oh, HOLLOW Night
by Majah
Summary: Ichigo tried to shut his hollow side,only to find himself in a training which TURNED him INTO his HOLLOW self at NIGHT.Catastrophic it may seemed but the unexpected happened when his hollow self started fancying Rukia & did things Ichigo would NEVER do.
1. When the Sun Sets

"**_Oh, HOLLOW Night"_**

By Majah

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Bleach but I do own the story in this fic and things that are non-Bleach. All the name of places, historical events and other things mentioned which you don't seem to know IRL, are products of my imagination. Any similarities with the actual thing are purely coincidental.

**Author's Note:**

This is dedicated to Ichigo's hollow side who I think cares more for Ichigo than he realizes. :P BTW, I don't create original characters unless there is a shortage of cast needed in a fic. Bleach already has a full cast, so **NO** original characters shall be made in any part of this story. If you don't seem to know a character, then it is possible that it is someone from the manga.

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**Chapter One: "When the Sun Sets"**

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck with his usual frown etched on his forehead.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He said as he stared out into the setting sun while sitting on top of the roof of his house.

"What do you expect from that man, anyway? Some walk in the park technique?" Rukia's voice rang in the air as she crossed her arms in front of her. She was standing beside Ichigo in her _'earth clothes'_ with her eyes closed in a haughty manner.

Ichigo grumbled.

"Well, you're the one who wanted some kind of _'short-cut'_ way, so why mope around like that?" The raven-haired shinigami pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah…I know. You don't have to keep on repeating it." Ichigo remarked with slight irritation.

But Rukia continued in her lecture-like tone. "Seriously, there is this thing as the conventional way of training for years…but no…you have to just to be reckless and agreed to do something like that."

"We barely have less than a year left to prepare!" Ichigo shouted. "Do you absolutely think that having this kind of internal problem will help me face Aizen when the time comes! I won't have…"

**_--sfx:_ BAAAM! _---_**

He wasn't able to finish what he was about to say due to the fact that someone just gave him a hard kick on the back of his head which caused him to fly meters away, and thus, ripping out some tiles of the roof.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! Talking so high and mighty like that!" An angry voice sliced between them.

"Oh." Rukia opened her eyes without even glancing at the disheveled Ichigo. "Renji…you're finally here." She said casually. "Did we get a clearance from Soul Society?"

"You did. I didn't." Renji grunted. "That's why I didn't even bother bringing a gigai."

"You didn't bring one because you can't even manage one." Ichigo's sarcastic muffled tone interrupted them.

"What did you say!" The red-haired shinigami dangerously stomped one foot on the roof which made the house shook a little.

Ichigo started narrating back to that time when a hollow appeared and Renji couldn't even get out of his gigai properly, that he almost ended up slicing half of his gigai into bits.

The red-haired shinigami's brow twitched. "That's quite unconvincing coming from someone who can't even control his inner self!" Renji countered.

In a snap, Ichigo was back on his feet and faced the other man squarely. "It isn't just an _'inner self'_, you dumb ass! We are talking about my hollow side! **My HOLLOW side!** How the hell can you compare a gigai to a hollow!"

"WELL, BOTH ARE TWO THINGS THAT ARE HARD TO CONTROL!" Renji equaled Ichigo's volume.

"WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT CONTROLLING A GIGAI! IT IS JUST A LIFELESS THING!" He briskly pointed at the raven-haired girl. "RUKIA CAN GET OUT OF HER GIGAI WITH NO PROBLEM AT ALL!"

"A LIFELESS THING IS BETTER THAN HAVING A DISTRUCTIVE KILLER RUNNING AROUND, ASSHOLE!" Renji was obviously going to lose this argument.

"THAT'S MY POINT, YOU IDIOT!" Ichigo balled his fist and waved it in front of the other shinigami. "YOU CAN NEVER COMPARE A HOLLOW TO A GIGAI!"

And they continued arguing, unaware that in the midst of their squabbles, a certain raven-haired girl was on the edge with her patience about to snap. A nerve popped out of Rukia's temple.

"**THAT'S ENOUGH!**" Her irritated commanding tone threw both men out of their positions which immediately halted their argument. The death glare Rukia gave them was all it took for them to squirm quietly down with scared looks on their faces. "There are more important things to take care of and we are running out of time!" She raised her arm and pointed at the horizon. "The sun is setting. It will be dark soon. And both of you know what will happen by then." This time, she shot a nervous glance towards Ichigo's direction.

The orange-haired guy scratched the back of his head and looked down with disdain. "Ah." He said.

"Psht!" Renji remarked with an annoyed expression. "If that guy comes out then I will personally slice him into bits." He placed his hand on top of his zanpakutou's handle reassuringly.

Ichigo snorted. "The other captains were here a few days before you came, and they couldn't even do anything against him. What makes you think you can fight him easily?"

Renji was about to retort something but he stopped when Rukia touched his arm. "Renji…how are they?" A concerned look was evident on her face.

The red-haired shinigami sighed. He knew very well that two of those captains were important to Rukia. "All of them are in good conditions now. Unohana-taichou healed them up pretty good."

"But…ummm…" Rukia was suddenly unsure and a little shy. "…nii-sama…" In the background, Ichigo's eyes wavered.

"Eh?" Renji smiled and placed his hand on top of her Rukia's head. "He's fine. There is no need to worry about him. Are you forgetting how strong Kuchiki-taichou is?" Then, he added with a goofy smile. "Just because he lost to this** idiot**, doesn't mean he is now weak." He gestured towards Ichigo.

"Who are you calling an idiot!" Ichigo exclaimed. Though, he looked energetic, inside, Ichigo was in turmoil.

Ever since they went back from Soul Society, Ichigo had been bothered of the fact that his hollow side was calling out to him more and more as days passed by. He could feel **_him _**laughing and saying that it would be a matter of time now before **_he _**wouldbe able to take over of Ichigo's mind and body completely. Though Ichigo had always found a way to shut his hollow side's voice out, he felt that **_he_**, his hollow self, was getting stronger each day. In truth, Ichigo feared that his hollow side's words would come true someday. It was because of this fear that he became cautious of using his techniques whenever a hollow showed up. He restrained himself from using any powerful sword technique. He knew he should be in training in exploring his bankai and find more ways of extracting more power from zangetsu, but he always ended up avoiding the use of third release of his zanpakutou.

_That technique is **his **technique, after all. _Ichigo thought and remembered the time when he faced Byakuya. It was then when his hollow side suddenly took over the battle.

'**_I'll show you how to properly use bankai.' _**

His hollow side's words floated back to him. He couldn't do anything back then and saw himself acquiring an unexplainable power and faced one of the most feared captains of Gotei-13 equally…even more. His hollow side fought dangerously and surged himself with insane-like attacks. He remembered **_him _**laughing his self out and enjoying every second of it. Ichigo was lucky that his strong will prevailed and pushed his hollow side out and gained control of his body once more. Perhaps it was pride amongst all that made his will stand sturdy. It was his battle after all; his battle with Rukia's older brother. No one had the right to interfere. It was something personal for him.

He gazed back at Rukia who was still asking Renji questions about the conditions of her brother, Byakuya and her captain, Ukitake.

Ichigo hated her brother for letting something like this to happen to her, but then again, after all the battle and things that were explained…what does a man have to do if they were in Kuchiki Byakuya's position? In a way, he had learned to give some respect to the man. After all, despite all things…he was important to Rukia.

Ichigo sighed and darted his gaze once more towards the setting sun.

_My hollow side… _

In an instant, his thoughts went back to the time he visited Urahara and asked for his help.

_**---four days ago…at Urahara Kisuke's shop---**_

"Hello! heart Welcome to my beloved shop! heart" Urahara was a mere image of a perverted man. "Oh…" His face fell down. "…it is only you, Ichigo."

"Who were you expecting?" Ichigo's brow twitched.

Urahara opened his fan in one brisk action and covered half of his face with it. "I don't know. It is summer, after all. Young high school girls are frequent to my shop during this season."

_---an arrow points at Urahara's head---- 'Dirty old man' it flashed._

"Do you actually sell something aside from those weird things you invented in Soul Society?" Ichigo's expression was indescribable.

"Hmmmm?" Urahara peered at the orange-haired guy. He didn't speak for a long time and just looked at Ichigo with a mysterious gaze behind his fan. The only sound evident was the soft ticking of an old clock nearby.

_--sfx: tick—_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_--sfx: tick—_

_-_

_-_

_-_

"Oi…" Ichigo stared at him with an unsure glance.

-

-

-

_--sfx: tick—_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_--sfx: tick—_

_-_

_-_

_-_

"I do." Urahara finally said. "Ordinary earthly things!" He cheerfully gestured his hand about.

Ichigo almost lost his balance. "Then, what's up with that long pause!"

Urahara chuckled. "Nothing. I just thought it would make things look dramatic."

Ichigo sweat-dropped. "And to think you used to be a captain." His image of a captain was a serious and matured one…like Kuchiki Byakuya or Hitsugaya Toushirou. Urahara Kisuke doesn't seem to fit the description.

"What are you talking about? I am just a simple handsome perverted businessman." twinkle twinkle twinkling lights all round

"Your true identity had been long revealed for quite some time now!" Ichigo scolded.

"Hahaha!" Urahara laughed. "Is that so." It was a statement not a question.

Ichigo mumbled which only made the other man chuckle some more.

"Oi…sandal-hat…" The orange-haired teen started to say.

"Hmmm?"

Ichigo avoided Urahara's eyes. "I need your help."

The sandaled man raised his brow. "My help?"

"My…ah…" Ichigo fidgeted. "…that thing…myself…my other self…"

"Your other self?" Urahara asked with a smile as he sat down on the steps of his shop.

"The…**hollow inside me**…" He finally said.

"Ah…yes…that strong side of yours." Urahara said thoughtfully.

"There is nothing strong about something uncontrollable!" Ichigo suddenly burst out.

"But I believe **_he _**can use your bankai far effectively." He adjusted his hat which shadowed his eyes. "He was quite superior versus Kuchiki Byakuya back then."

"How…how did you know about that?" Ichigo blinked.

"I just know." Urahara remarked with a happy face, but he suddenly riveted to a very serious one after that. "But...a hollow is still a hollow." He closed his fan and crossed his legs.

"Ah." Ichigo leaned his back against a wall and stared out into space. "You placed me into a situation before which brought **_him _**out. It turned me back into being a shinigami, but your training did release him."

"**_He_** is bound to show up sooner or later." Urahara said. "Same with your true shinigami powers. We just need it badly back then. It is something in you…waiting to be awakened. There is a reason for that exceptionally powerful reiatsu you have. Your spiritual force will grow stronger as you get older, and since your hollow side feeds in this power…it is inevitable that **_he_** would gain much consciousness."

"So, I guess you already know about my current problem." Ichigo remarked.

"What problem?" Urahara replied.

"What's with that look? After all that talk about **_him _**gaining consciousness." Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

But the sandaled man just gave a cheerful smile. "I was referring to that time you confronted him when you tried regaining zangetsu."

Ichigo gazed at the man. His smile looked convincing, but still…

"Well anyway…what was this current problem of yours?" Urahara asked casually.

The orange-head teen took a deep breath. "I can feel **_him. He _**is getting stronger. I dream about **_him_** more frequent these days. **_He _**always had the same taunting smirk and kept repeating that he will soon take over." Then, he faced Urahara squarely. "I think **_he_** is right. **_He _**is stronger than me. **_He _**can use zangetsu far better than I can. I am actually afraid to wield my zanpakutou in full power. I am avoiding the use of bankai…because as far as I'm concerned…bankai is **_his_** technique."

"In short…you came to me to ask for a way to shut your hollow side out." The sandaled man concluded.

"Ah." Ichigo bent his head down and rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't runaway forever."

"But isn't shutting your hollow side, a way of running as well?" Urahara pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"Mmmph." The older man stood up. "Ichigo…**_he_** is still **you**, you know. Shutting him means that you are hiding from a part of you."

"**He is not me**." Ichigo gritted his teeth as his hollow self's smirking face flashed inside his head. "There is no way I would be a blood thirsty person. There is no way I can be uncaring and would only bother for a taste of power. There is simply no way…I can be like what that guy is."

"How would you know?" Urahara's eyes were hidden from his hat's shadow. "A person always has something dark subconsciously hidden inside him. Yours may have manifested in your hollow self's personality."

"A hollow…cares for nothing but feeding himself with spiritual force to make him more powerful." The orange head teen muttered. "He would live to fight and destroy every one around him."

"**A hollow can also depict the extremities of a person's innermost desires**." Urahara pointed out.

"I WOULD NOT SEEK OTHER PEOPLE'S DESTRUCTION!" Ichigo shouted.

But Urahara just looked at him. "Hai. Hai." He nodded casually.

The orange head teen realized that he raised his voice at the man. "I'm sorry. I got carried away." He apologized and let himself slid down towards the floor.

The sandaled man gave a small smile. "I think it is pointless to try and make you understand. You simply have to realize it for yourself."

Ichigo looked up. "What do you mean?"

"Do you really want that hollow inside you to stop bothering you?" Urahara asked in a mysterious tone.

"Ah." He nodded.

"Well, then…" Urahara was suddenly back to his smiling businessman-like demeanor. "…I may have just thing for you." He quickly reached inside behind his shop's sliding door and revealed a limp looking lizard and dangled it in front of Ichigo's face.

"Wha…! What is that!" The orange head teen moved away.

"It's not a real reptile." The shop owner said. "It is something made out of leather." He squished the sides of the lizard with a happy face. "See…see."

"Okay. Okay. I get it. Now move that thing away from me." Ichigo grunted.

"I can't do that because it's this thing that shall put you under training once again." Urahara rubbed his unshaven chin. "This hasn't been tested yet. You are going to be the very first one to try it out."

"What! Is that thing safe?"

"Ehhh?" Urahara peered at him. "And since when have you thought about your own safety. Who was that person who courageously stuck his zanpakutou in that reckless invention of mine to attain bankai within three days?"

"It was different that time." Ichigo pointed out. "Rukia's life was in danger and I am out of options."

"And you think her life now isn't in danger?" The sandaled man asked. "…everyone's life…for that matter. Aizen is going to go straight for Karakura city a few more months from now. After his done with this town, soul society will be his next target. Do you think you can face him in your current state?"

This silenced Ichigo.

"Although, it is quite arrogant to think that you are the only one that is going to face Aizen, considering that Soul Society still has powerful captains and vice-captains under its wing, I don't think all of them would be able to raise their reiatsu in less than a year. They could get more powerful but still…not as fast your ability allows you to." He shot the teen a very serious look. "When it all comes down to it…you will be once again…heavily relied on, and the hollow in you…" His eyes projected something dark and heavy. "…shouldn't be a hindrance to attain something more powerful with zangetsu."

Ichigo stood up. "That's my point. My hollow side shouldn't bother me. Make him go away." He grabbed Urahara's haori. "…sandal-hat…your help…this lizard thing…is it going to work?"

"I think you are mistaken, Ichigo." The sandaled man remarked. "This is not going to get rid of your hollow side."

"What do you mean? What is it for, then?"

"Your hollow self kept saying that he will soon take over, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"So…why not give him that privilege?" Urahara smiled cheerfully.

"WHAT!"

"Let him take over. Give him a taste of the outside world." The sandaled man grinned playfully.

"ARE YOU CRAZY! You can't have something like that on the loose!" Ichigo exclaimed with disbelief that the person before him was actually suggesting such a dangerous thing. "It will be like another hollow terrorizing Karakura! A much much more powerful hollow! We already have difficulty dealing with ordinary hollows, what will a high-leveled one equipped with a zanpakutou and bankai will end up doing! I simply won't let go of my body that way!"

Urahara suddenly dropped his hand on top of Ichigo's shoulders. "Exactly." He smiled mysteriously at him. "You wouldn't let him have his way now, would you? That is why…this training's purpose is for you to learn to match your hollow's self will but to do that…you must understand how he thinks. The two of you will be switching positions. See what it is like to be him inside you. And at the same time…in a way…**_he _**would feel less distraught as he breathes in the fresh air of the outside world."

"What if…I can't pull him back?" Ichigo's eyes wavered.

But Urahara kept his happy-go-lucky face. "Then that would be catastrophic!" He chuckled brightly. "It will be a blood bath as he goes on his rampage! Haha!"

"That is not something to be laughed about!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"But nevertheless…" Urahara shook Ichigo's head. "…are you up to it? It is the only fastest way for you to control **_him_**. Remember…Aizen isn't like Byakuya. He is now associated with hollows…an alliance even. He is greatly aware of how a hollow moves and thinks. That would be a disadvantage to you if your hollow side takes over while in battle with Aizen. He might even end up controlling you."

Ichigo gritted his teeth. Sandal-hat has a point. It was better to gamble now than later. "Fine." He muttered with a very deep frown drawn on his forehead. "I'll do it."

Urahara smiled mysteriously. "Good."

**­-----_----Back on the rooftop----------_**

"Damn." Ichigo muttered under his breath as he pulled his shirt up to rub his stomach area. This caught his two companions' attention.

"Oi…Ichigo. Is that where Urahara stuck that reptile thing?" Rukia inquired. "I can't see anything."

"You're not supposed to see it." Renji remarked. "It only makes itself visible once Ichigo goes through the transition."

"Oh really?" Curious Rukia started poking Ichigo's stomach.

_**---sfx: poke…poke---**_

"Stop that!" Ichigo roared as he dropped his shirt back down and moved away.

By this time, the sun had almost set. The first night star became evident in the sky.

"So like what I said…Rukia…" Renji's expression was serious and grave. "I didn't get the clearance, but you did."

"But why?" Rukia focused her attention back to Renji much to Ichigo's relief. The woman might carry things a bit further once it caught her attention. And considering that she hasn't seen him since that incident in Soul Society, there were things she hasn't been aware of.

"I don't know." Renji replied. "It's puzzling really. Kuchiki-taichou, Ukitate-taichou and Hitsugaya-taichou…all went here to counter Ichigo's hollow side. Of course, they came in different days, but the end result was the same."

"They all got beaten." Rukia finished for him.

"Yeah." Renji glanced at Ichigo who seemed to be avoiding his eyes. He knew that Ichigo was strong, but he didn't know that he was this strong. The guy had grown so much since their fight. _And to think he was able to beat Kuchiki-taichou. _He thought. It was quite something since he had always admired his captain and placed a goal that someday he would be as powerful. _But this guy…_ He glanced at the moping orange-haired teen. _To beat my captain twice…and not only Kuchiki-taichou…but two more of Gotei-13 captains…and he didn't even end up having a scratch. _He narrowed his eyes. _His hollow self is insanely strong. _"I couldn't understand why this task was assigned to you alone, Rukia."

"I know that I have been recovering since that awful thing was taken from me, but I don't think I am a suitable opponent for Ichigo." Rukia said thoughtfully.

"It is not me…it's my hollow side." Ichigo mumbled.

"We know already." Renji and Rukia said in unison.

The red-haired shinigami cleared his throat. "You should be careful, Rukia. Maybe you should hide somewhere and…"

**---sfx: WAPAM!---**

And Renji received a direct blow on the face. "Eow! What the hell!"

"Don't you dare to tell me to runaway with my tail between my legs, Renji!" Rukia exclaimed with a stern glare. "May I remind that I am still a shinigami. I won't have people around me…protecting me all the time!"

Renji remained silent, but Ichigo looked surprised. "Rukia…"

"You hear that, Renji!" She said in a determined tone. Her words were directed to Renji but her eyes were on Ichigo's.

"Yeah." Renji smirked.

A deeper frown crept on Ichigo's forehead. "Still…it is dangerous for you to be here alone." Then, he turned to the red-haired shinigami. "Oi…what exactly did that old man say?"

Renji adjusted his headband. "If I remember correctly…he said that he won't be sending more officials in the human world. If more limits were broken and released, it might get too dangerous for the residents nearby. Captain-level and Vice Captain-level reiatsu would be dangerous for a human soul if released successively. I think he said, to avoid harmful side effects, a week gap is needed before sending someone powerful again."

"A week!" This time, it was Ichigo and Rukia who said it in unison.

"Yeah." He scratched his head. "You need to hold Ichigo's hollow side off for a week."

"A week…" Rukia's world was spinning. She knew she has her pride to satisfy, but how the hell could she face someone that strong for a week? She might be dead in minute's time.

Ichigo jumped and grabbed Renji's black kimono. "Are you guys insane! How can you leave Rukia all alone for a week with **_him!_**"

"How could you agree in doing something like that with Urahara!" Renji countered. "I mean…this is plainly stupid. **You allowed your hollow self take control of your body during night time and transform back again to your old self when morning comes**…you know what kind of destruction a hollow is capable of doing in a matter of minutes…why the hell did you agreed in releasing one in full 12 hrs per day!"

Ichigo was silent for a moment. "Well…I trust sandal-hat."

"You what! May remind you of what he did to Rukia!" Renji exclaimed.

"Even so! He was the one who trained me. He was there when I needed help. There are a lot of things I learned from him." Ichigo pointed out.

"Hmph!" Renji snobbishly turned on his heels. "It's almost dark." He balled his hands into fists. He was shaking as he spoke. "I…I can't stay long. As much as I want to support Rukia in this mission, they placed some kind of teleporter in me. It will automatically go off in a two minutes. Some how they were anticipating that I may choose to stay and help Rukia."

"You can't blame them." Rukia said thoughtfully. "You did defy Onii-sama before…and he is your captain."

"Yeah…" He gave the petite girl a side glance which seemed to be more tender than expected.

"So, that's it? You're leaving?" Inside, Ichigo was starting to get scared. He wasn't scared of his hollow side but he was scared for Rukia's well-being. _Rukia…_

"I have no choice." Renji remarked.

"Damn it." Ichigo slumped down and buried his face in his hands.

"Top it all off…" The red-haired shinigami tilted his head. "…we can't find Urahara Kisuke anywhere. His shop was closed. Not a soul in sight."

"Really?" Rukia was surprised. "He had always been responsible in regards to his merchandise…why would he disappear at this time?"

"Beats me." Renji shrugged. "It's almost time." Some kind of tatami started materializing underneath his feet. "Here it goes." Then, he shot Ichigo a glance, only to see the orange head teen squirming his gut out as a lizard-like thing started glowing on his stomach.

"Ichigo!" Rukia quickly ran and knelt beside him. She was about to place her hand on his shoulders when he suddenly pushed them away aggressively. "Ichigo…"

"Go away!" He shouted. "Go away, Rukia…please." He shut his eyes as throbbing pain overcame him. He felt his consciousness being pulled away. _He's surfacing…_ Ichigo thought. "Run while you still can!"

"I am not going to run!" Rukia stubbornly said. She stood up and wore her skull glove. _I must turn into my shinigami self before his hollow side comes. _And with one brisk action, Rukia pushed her gigai out and stood squarely in her shinigami form. She tightly grasped her zanpakutou. _Ichigo…_

Behind them, the tatami which appeared underneath Renji, opened and a light started covering his body. _Good luck, Rukia. _And no second sooner, Renji disappeared, thus leaving his childhood friend and comrade behind.

On the other hand, Ichigo was screaming as he clutched the tiles of their roof. He could hear **_him. _**He could hear **_him _**laughing.

**_It's time for me to get out now. Thank you so much, Ichigo. I'm going to have so much 'fun' again. _**

"Nooooooooooooooo! You better not hurt Rukia!" He shouted and lost consciousness. His body went limp and started rolling down the roof.

Rukia gasped. "Ichigo!" She quickly jumped after him to keep his body from falling off the roof. She placed her arm around his neck to anchor him against her. "Phew…that was close." She said as she stared down the fairly high house.

"This **is quite **close." She felt a cold hand touching her arm.

Another gasp escaped Rukia as she glanced down towards her lap. She wasn't expecting the sight which met her.

Smirking up at her was something which looked like Ichigo. The same form, the same body except for some details. The color of his hair was no longer orange. It was now…pure white. Even whiter than Ukitake-taichou's hair. His eyes were no longer brown, they were completely black except for the iris which was as white as his hair. The frown he carried wasn't as deep as what Ichigo normally has, maybe because it was overthrown by the large smirk and taunting-like expression he had. His skin was paler and his voice wasn't as deep as Ichigo's but it was creepy as it sounded like there was always an echo in every word that came out of his mouth.

"You must be…Rukia." He grinned up at her.

Rukia sensed that enormous change of his reiatsu which made her fall backwards and knelt in a guard position. She had never seen Ichigo's hollow self before. This was the first time.

The foreboding guy in front of her slowly stood up and adjusted his white hakama. Beside him, a white version of zangetsu suddenly materialized. The white cloth/bandage which dangled at the end of the large sword danced in the air as it got blown by the night wind. Their combination seemed to be quite eye-catching against the darkness of the surroundings.

"And you must be…" Rukia swallowed hard as she stared at his broad back. "…**Ichigo's hollow self**."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Geez, I seem to be writing more and more bleach fics lately. But alas, this one is not as long as my other stories and is lighter to read.

You all know what goes here. R & R Onegai Shimasu!

(I am not the only here who likes Ichigo's hollow side now, am I?)


	2. First Encounter

"**_Oh, HOLLOW Night"_**

By Majah

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Bleach but I do own the story in this fic and things that are non-Bleach. All the name of places, historical events and other things mentioned which you don't seem to know IRL, are products of my imagination. Any similarities with the actual thing are purely coincidental.

**Author's Note:**

I'm surprised to see reviews, a few minutes after I uploaded this fic. OO I'm so glad that hollow-Ichigo has some fans. cries I'm so happy. Thank you. (BTW, I also would like to thank my regular reviewers who always take time to read my stories no matter where my fics were posted.)

**Reminder:**

You may not understand if you haven't watch Bleach.

For those who do know Bleach, expect spoilers up to what was currently happening in the manga.

I'll be adding a fictional concept of the true source of Ichigo's strength and his connection to Soul Society.

* * *

**Chapter Two: "First Encounter"  
**

"And you must be…" Rukia swallowed hard as she stared at his broad back. "…**Ichigo's hollow self**."

The man before her didn't reply. Instead, he kept on adjusting his pure white shihakushou with a distinct dark grin on his face. The raven-haired shinigami started to get nervous. Although, she sensed that the reiatsu was still somewhat like Ichigo's, the fact that it sky rocketed, troubled her immensely.

_Why do I have to face him alone? _She thought as she gripped the handle of her zanpakutou hard. _What was Yamamoto-taichou thinking?_

A shallow chuckle suddenly rang in the air. It came from the white hollow in front of her. He slowly turned around to face her. In that very moment, Rukia felt her heart skip a beat as she anticipated a possible attack.

"So…" Ichigo's hollow self started to say with an insane smile etched on his lips. "…are you my opponent tonight?" His voice echoed the snicker which seemed to continuously taunt her.

"Ah." She reservedly said. A trickle of sweat rolled down her temples. Her confidence was dissipating as she faced this individual with an enormous reiatsu.

* * *

A few blocks away from the Kurosaki house, two distinct figures stood behind the shadows. The first one wore a striped hat while the other has a medical coat casually draped on his back. 

"So no one is at your house at the moment…except for Ichigo and Rukia?" The first man asked.

"Yeah." The second man answered. "I was kind of…predicting that something like this would eventually happen. Ichigo had been having successive bad dreams ever since he came back from Soul Society, though he tried his best to hide it from all of us, I'm his father, after all." He turned to other man with a smile. "Your methods are unorthodox as usual, Kisuke. I'm glad I was able to send Yuzu and Karin to summer camp before you placed that invention of yours inside Ichigo."

Urahara pushed his hat closer to his head and smiled as well. "Shouldn't you be…at least…a little angry with me? First off, I did have motives for training Ichigo when Rukia was sentenced to death back then, though, you and I had secretly known each other, like what you've just said…you are still his father, Isshin."

The other man laughed. "Haha. It's alright. He is my son. He has the strongest spiritual power amongst my three children. It is inevitable that he goes down this path. He needs to learn this sooner or later."

"He also **needs to remember _it_**sooner or later." Urahara remarked mysteriously.

This placed a wide grin on Isshin's face. "Yes. And **_that_**, too."

"Well, the subconscious mind can also be stored in one's hollow side…if applicable." Urahara pointed out. "…I bet Ichigo's hollow side has **_that_** memory stored somewhere in him."

"Probably." The doctor squinted towards the direction of his house. "But his hollow self needs to be reminded about something first, before it can connect to **_that_** lost consciousness."

The sandaled man cheerfully smiled. "Don't worry. Although, I did say to Ichigo that this will train him in controlling his hollow side and even make him realize what it is like inside him, he can't do that unless his hollow side earns back his life memories first."

Isshin smirked. "So this was all done to pull his hollow's side back into reality."

"Yup." Urahara nodded. "Ichigo's training was only secondary. This is…first and foremost…his hollow self's training."

"Hmmmm…" Isshin crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I'm going to be in trouble once Ichigo's hollow self regains what he thought was lost to him."

Urahara grinned. "Yeah. He'll probably going to beat you up in a pulp."

The doctor chuckled. "You know what? All this time, I've been physical with Ichigo…punched him and kicked him in every opening I see…it is probably because I am trying to relive the old days…**my old days with him**."

"The old days…" Urahara bent his head. "…that sounds so nostalgic. But I would like to remind you that **he isn't the same any more**. He **isn't the same Ichigo you've known in your shinigami days**."

Isshin laughed. "Haha, I know that. That is why I am glad." Then, he looked at Urahara with unwavering eyes. "I am proud to say…that Ichigo had grown so much since then. Now all that's left is to synchronize that growth **to his old self**."

"**To his hollow self**…" Urahara remarked with a smile.

* * *

**--- _Meanwhile in Soul Society ---_**

Kuchiki Byakuya stared out the open window. He was currently confined in one of the hospital's rooms located in the fifth floor. He guessed it was probably night time in the human world, and this thought made him uneasy with worry.

"It may seem a bit harsh and uncalled for, but I think it is best to just leave him with her for now and see what happens." Someone spoke near the door of his room.

"Yamamoto-taichou…" Byakuya riveted his gaze towards the newcomer.

The old man stepped closer to the hospital bed. "Kuchiki-taichou," He started to say. "I know that Soul Society's laws had been unfair to your sister, and that she had been placed to dilemmas she wasn't supposed to experience in the first place, but…this time…I am confident that no harm will come to her."

"Are you taking that woman's word for it?" Byakuya asked.

"Yuruichi-san's? Yes…I am." The old man nodded.

The younger captain frowned.

"You've made a promise to your wife that you will always protect her sister and I respect that, but you also have to consider that Rukia-san isn't exactly weak. She has much potential inside her if you will only allow her to."

Byakuya looked away. "I know that. I even told Ukitake-taichou to just go ahead if he wants to make Rukia a seated officer once she fully recovers, but…to face that kind of monster at this stage is a bit too much."

"I understand your predicament, but I didn't assign Rukia for this mission to fight Ichigo's hollow self." Yamamoto replied with ease.

"Do you absolutely think that that monster will yield before Rukia? It only knows of power…destruction…and nothing more."

"Yuruichi-san pointed out that Rukia isn't exactly someone whom Ichigo's hollow self would consider as its enemy." The older captain explained. "After some thought, I think she is right. Rukia does have some strong bond with Ichigo. And it is this bond which made that boy went all those lengths to save her back then."

"But this isn't Ichigo any more." Byakuya insisted. His usual calm tone was dissipating. "That thing is a hollow. It won't recognize any one. Yuruichi's judgment might be getting rusty. "

The old man closed his eyes and sighed. "For someone like us, it is rather difficult to comprehend. But I trust Yuruichi's perception. For all this time with what happened with Aizen, my own judgment had been cloudy, so for the time being…I will try her suggestion. There is no reason to doubt her."

"Her suggestions were probably from Urahara Kisuke." Byakuya remarked disdainfully.

"That might be true." Yamamoto nodded. "But still…that man is known to have always been responsible with the things he invented. Though, the last major one had grown out of hand, he still did his best to counter it."

"Even though you just said that, I would like to remind you that Urahara Kisuke had gone missing again."

"Yes. I am aware of that detail." The old man closed his eyes. "That is why…you may do anything to me, Kuchiki-taichou…if things go wrong with your sister in the human world."

Byakuya looked away. His normally cool and expressionless face, now held a deep set frown. "Yes…do pray that things won't go wrong."

* * *

**--- _Back in Karakura City ---_**

Rukia cursed under her breath as she landed with a thud on top of another house's roof. She was sure that Ichigo's neighbors were probably wondering as to why there were successive noises and barges on their properties.

_I have to lure him away. _She thought as she glanced behind her, only to see the insane-like white hollow shoot his energy in numerous ball-like forces. Every now and then, a piece of cement will crumble down as Ichigo's hollow self made his way towards her.

"Where are you going?" She heard him say. "You don't expect to escape from me now, do you?"

The raven-haired shinigami muttered another curse. She was already tired from jumping from one roof to another. She wasn't exactly someone who could perform shunpo. But for some reason, even in her pathetic speed, the hollow behind her seemed to be lagging. Surely, this wasn't the same hollow who defeated her brother? Her brother, after all, was a master in shunpo.

_No, that wasn't it. _Rukia thought. _It was as if…he wasn't really using his real strength. But why?_

That was all she could think of before she felt the tiles beneath her feet gave away. "Shoot!" She muttered as she tried desperately to land on two feet which she did but it cost her balance. She was panting as she tried to hold onto something to prevent her from being found in a more troublesome position. Her hand flung in the air and was able to grab one of the bars of a steel gate. She slightly jumped in surprised as she found two eyes looking straight at her. Then, she realized that the eyes belonged one of Ichigo's neighbors who was currently looking at the debris which just fell down from his roof.

"Good thing ordinary humans cannot see us." Rukia said to herself. "This is quite a difficult thing to explain."

Yet suddenly, that very same neighbor screamed. The raven-haired shinigami blinked. "What the-?" She followed the person's gaze and saw what made it so frightened.

The neighbor was staring at someone who just landed with one powerful motion in front of his house.

**The person was looking straight in fear at Ichigo's hollow self.**

"Can he…see?" Rukia watched the person's reaction in confusion. "But…he didn't show any signs of seeing me…then, how come…" She shot her gaze towards the white hollow.

Ichigo's hollow self just stood there with smirk on his face and white zangetsu in hand. His disturbing eyes taunted the poor person which made the human unmoving. He chuckled.

"**Boo**." He said which made the man scream louder in horror and ran inside his house.

Rukia stared at the white hollow unblinkingly. "That person…can…see you?" She said in a small tone. "How is that possible?" She asked once more, forgetting that this thing in front of her was the one chasing her. "You are in your shinigami form. I mean…" She pointed at Ichigo's hollow self's white shihakushou.

Ichigo's hollow self scoffed. "You are quite slow, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

He straightened his back and leaned on his white zangetsu. "Tell me…when I suddenly changed in front of you; did you see anything separating from me? Or any body lying around without a soul, for that matter?"

Rukia just stared at him wide-eyed. "No." Her answer was almost a whisper.

"Then, there's your answer." He grinned menacingly.

"But…but…"

"But…you are too dumb to notice right from the start." Ichigo's hollow self finished for her. "Hmph…" He gripped the end of his zanpakutou and lifted it up in one smooth wave. "…shall we continue on where we have…" It looked like he was about to give Rukia a direct blow but he suddenly halted when the petite girl suddenly stomped towards him and touched his torso.

"Oi." He was taken a back at the unexpected action.

But the raven-haired girl just continued on touching him and even started pulling his upper clothing. "This…this is solid…" Rukia continued to say. She tugged here and there.

"Oi." But he was completely ignored as Rukia went on ahead in her little study. She tiptoed and started patting in random places from his chest area up to his neck. She even smacked his forehead with the end her palm as if expecting his soul to come out.

**_---sfx on Rukia hitting his head: _BOING…BOING…BOING…_ ---_**

"You…" His voice echoed and snatched Rukia's wrist with one free hand. "…what do you think you are doing?" He pulled the girl up until her feet no longer touched the ground.

Rukia stared at him with bloodshot unbelieving eyes. "You're using **Ichigo's human body**."

"Yeah…so?" The white hollow arched a brow and smirked at her. He seemed amused that the petite girl was oblivious of the fact that she was in a dangerous perimeter; being this close to him.

"But you are wearing a shinigami uniform!" She tugged his upper clothing once more with her free hand, and then glanced at the white zanpakutou his other hand was holding. "And you have that out in the open. Shouldn't you be in spirit form? I mean…" She grasped his shihakushou hard which enabled her to ease herself more squarely towards him. "How is that possible!" She exclaimed.

The white hollow blinked for a moment at the sudden reaction of the raven-haired shinigami, but eventually snickered. "And you call yourselves 'shinigami'." He remarked in a sarcastic tone. "You don't even know this technique? This is something very basic to me."

"Eh?" Rukia continued to stare with wide-eyes.

"It is a form of reiatsu materialization." He tilted his head haughtily. "Normally, the technique was used to give a shinigami a projection of his body which he can use in the human world. But since I am a human at this very moment, there is no restriction in reversing the process and attaining a shinigami form." He scoffed. "Sheesh…**my girlfriend is so lame**. Can't Ichigo find **a more suitable and competent partner**?"

This seemed to have brought Rukia back to her old self. "What! What girlfriend?"

"**You**." Ichigo's hollow self raised her higher until she was in his eye-level. "**Aren't you Ichigo's little girlfriend**?"

Rukia's mouth dropped open. "**What**! Where the hell did you get that!"

"Eh?" His smirked never left his face for a second. "What are you getting so worked up with?"

She started to frantically kick him even though she was suspended in midair. "COZ I AM NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND, YOU ASSHOLE!"

The white hollow doesn't seem to be affected by her small attacks. "Oh? I really find that hard to believe."

"WHY WOULD YOU FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE!"

"Hmmmmm…?" He tauntingly leaned closer until his face was only inches away from Rukia's. He stuck zangetsu's blade on the ground and used his free hand to capture her chin. "…aren't you the one who Ichigo went all that trouble to save in Soul Society? Aren't you the very same girl he had risked his life many times with?" Then, he mischievously smiled at her. "Don't **you sleep in the same room as him **whenever you are in the human world?"

"Wai!" Her face was getting flustered. "I don't exactly **sleep with him**! I don't sleep in the same bed! I **sleep inside his closet,** for crying out loud!"

"A closet…how cozy." Ichigo's hollow self snickered. "Tell me...can two people fit inside that _'closet'_?"

"You're sick!" Rukia exclaimed and tried to wriggle free from his grasp. She succeeded in removing his hand from her face but she still remained captive by the one which held her wrist in midair. "**I** **can't even think of such a thing**!"

The white hollow's smile widened. "You can't, but **have you ever wondered if Ichigo could**? He is still a guy, after all. And a very particularly 'attached-to-you' type of guy. "

"HE WOULDN'T DARE THINK OF SUCH A THING!" She shouted.

"Are you sure?" Mischief was all over his face.

"Absolutely!"

"Then, **why are you blushing**?" Ichigo's hollow self grinned triumphantly.

Rukia was speechless for a moment. Her face does feel…rather hot.

"**Kawaii**." The white hollow remarked with a spark of interest in his eyes.

She blinked a few times before scowling. "DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" She exclaimed and punched him hard on the face.

**_---sfx: _WAPAM!_---_**

She seemed to have mustered a large force without knowing it, and caused the hollow to loosen his grip of her. Rukia quickly jumped backwards, away from him while rubbing the wrist which he held a while ago. _That's going to leave a mark. _She thought.

Now back in her old self, she stood bravely up against him. Her midnight eyes glared immensely.

Ichigo's hollow self rubbed his face but no pain illuminated from him. In contrary, he was laughing…laughing himself out. The way his shoulders moved in coherence seemed endless until finally, he peered between his fingers.

"I was observing you all this time." He began to say. "And I might say, I am disappointed with your skills. I can't even classify you as a worthy opponent. Yet, I wanted to know why Ichigo particularly shouted with all his might that I better not hurt you. I wanted to know why this person named 'Rukia' held so much importance to him, enough for his will to carry on inside me."

Rukia just stared at him. She has no idea where his little speech was leading to.  
Then, he suddenly shot her a creepy smile which caused goosebumps to go up her spine.

"But now…I think I know why." His smile widened.

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "What are you planning?"

Ichigo's hollow self slowly removed his hands from his face and placed his white zangetsu on his back; sheathed with its white strands of cloth. This action made the raven-haired shinigami relieved. She was relieved that he seemed to have no intentions of using the weapon against her. But the look which he threw towards her direction disturbed her greatly.

"**Anything that belongs to Ichigo is also mine**." He started to say.

"Eh?"

"**Everything." **He stressed darkly. "**He and I are the same. We are one person."**

Rukia frowned. "The two of you are **not** the same!" She said vigilantly.

"**Oh, but we are." **He insisted. "**No matter how many times he denies it, that is the truth, and he has to live with it."**

"You're lying."

He tilted his head. "**That is why, having his consciousness and my consciousness in the same body is going to be troublesome. We have to decide who is going to finally reign. But…" **He paused to look at her with a serious expression for the first time. "**…at the moment…I am willing to share. **I find this little rendezvous of ours, quite amusing." Then, his demeanor riveted back to his smirking self. "So given Ichigo's and my current situation, it is only right to say that **he is me…and I am him…and what is his…is also mine."**

"Where are you leading at?"

"Oh…it is quite simple, really." He grinned wider. "**In my book,** **you are Ichigo's girlfriend**."

"Why are we back to that girlfriend thing!" Rukia exclaimed. She was about to throw some counters when Ichigo's hollow self continued.

"**That will make you…my girlfriend as well." **

"WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY!"

But the white hollow just smiled. "Yeah." He said.

"I can't believe this!" Rukia stomped her feet. "How many times do I have to tell you that I am not his girlfriend! **Our relationship is completely platonic**! PLATONIC, YOU HEAR!"

Ichigo's hollow self chuckled evilly. "**Then we should start changing that." **

"What!"

"Don't worry…there is no need to rush things."

"I can't believe I am hearing this from a hollow!" Rukia barked. "Aren't you supposed to just destroy things and kill people in your path! Why do you have this kind of logic and reasoning!"

"**Because I am that man's hollow**." For a second, his face looked peaceful. Then, he closed his eyes and a frown crept on his forehead.

"Oi…" Rukia didn't know why there was a sudden change in his demeanor, but it seemed to be troubling him.

"Sorry…got lost for a moment." He said.

"Huh?"

He suddenly turned to face her once more. "So…" This time, his usual smirk and taunting smile was back. "…will you play with me?"

"Eh?" She blinked.

"Let's have some fun." His voice was full of mischief.

"What!"

But he didn't answer her. She saw him change his position. It didn't take her long to realize what he was about to do.

"Oi! Wait! Where are you going!" She remarked as she saw him do shunpo.

"Somewhere." He replied as he suddenly vanished and reappeared on top of an electric pole.

"But…but…you can't just go around like that!" Rukia jumped and landed on top of the pole beside where he stood.

"Why not?" He arched a brow.

"Because I'm supposed to watch over you!" _Oh shoot! I just said it. _

"Is that your mission, shinigami?" Ichigo's hollow self laughed. "Very well, then. You are free to watch over me provided you can keep up…but I highly doubt you could." He vanished once again, only to reappear on the roof of a faraway three-story building in a split second.

_Damn it! _Rukia cursed. _He's so fast. I won't be able to catch up with him._

"I told you." She heard him say with a snicker. "But don't worry…I'll make sure to bring something back for you. After all**, a man must always give gifts to his woman**."

Rukia felt her face go all flustered once more. "I AM NOT YOUR WOMAN!" She shouted.

But she didn't get any reply. The only thing evident was the trail of his mischievous laughter as he disappeared again; this time, completely away from her view.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

R & R Onegai Shimasu!


	3. The Gift

"**_Oh, HOLLOW Night"_**

By Majah

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Bleach but I do own the story in this fic and things that are non-Bleach. All the name of places, historical events and other things mentioned which you don't seem to know IRL, are products of my imagination. Any similarities with the actual thing are purely coincidental.

* * *

**Chapter Three: "The Gift"**

Rukia had been hopping from one roof top to another. She had raked the extents of Karakura City with hope of catching a tinge of Ichigo's hollow side's reiatsu but to no avail. After a couple of hours more, she had finally given up and assumed that the hollow must have been hiding his reiatsu. She cursed under her breath as she sat on top of Ichigo's house. She stared out in the vast darkness. She had placed her gigai inside Ichigo's room for safe-keeping, but that doesn't make her shinigami form immune to catching a cold under the night's sky. Like hunger, which could take over their spirit form, sickness wouldn't be an exemption since reiatsu users took up much resource from their body.

The petite shinigami inhaled deeply. Her energy was starting to get sapped down. The lateness of the hour was starting to take a toll on her.

"Damn you, hollow, wherever you are…I hope…I hope you trip!" Rukia shouted.

_---Insert Rukia thought cloud here of white hollow Ichigo falling smack face on poop--_

"Hehehe…that would be nice. Make his annoying white face all dirty." She grumbled darkly to herself; the idea of fearing the devastating hollow got entirely overthrown. Even the notion that the hollow on the loose might cause severe damage was completely forgotten.

"Everything seemed quiet, though." Surely, if Ichigo's hollow indeed went on a rampage, she would have heard something from Soul Society by now. But so far, nothing came to her attention.

"Touché! The nerve of calling me his girlfriend." She mumbled irritably.

Rukia entertained some more pain-infliction thoughts before she hugged her knees in front of her. Crickets around sounded endless in their own version of Mozart's contemporary that Rukia's ears got used to it until finally, she buried her head on her crossed arms and closed her eyes. A few seconds more, she was pulled unconsciously to a much needed sleep.

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been sleeping, but one thing was for sure, she felt something was wrong. She was barely awake yet and was too sleepy to open her eyes, but something inside told her that she ought to get herself together. Rukia tried moving but her body complained and wanted to stay as it was.

_Maybe a few minutes more._ She told herself.

But her small inner plea was disrupted the moment something cold brushed her face. Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring on a pair of white irises.

"Hello there, shinigami." Ichigo's hollow side remarked whose crazy smile was only inches away from her face. The cold touch a while ago was his finger when it brushed a lock of hair away from her cheeks. "Miss me?"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Rukia screamed from shock on how close he was and instantly crawled ten feet away from him.

The hollow chuckled and gazed at her with an amused face. "Be careful now. Don't edge too far. You don't want to fall from the roof, do you? That would be so sad for me…seeing your little body broken down without being touched by my zanpakutou."

Rukia gasped for breath. Her heart pounded inside her chest at his sudden appearance. "You!" She replied accusingly at him. "Where have you been!" Somehow it didn't come out the way she intended it to.

Ichigo's hollow side arched a brow. "Eh? You sound like a wife asking her husband why he came home late." This notion earned a wide naughty grin from the white hollow.

"WHAT!" The petite shinigami's face was starting to get flustered once more.

"Oh, sorry, honey. I promise not to stay on bars that long and will try my best not to look on those almost naked women dancing on my lap." The hollow replied with much glee.

Rukia's face was indescribable. "Bars…? Women on your lap…?" If she was fresh out of the spirit world, she wouldn't have any idea on what he was talking about. But since she had been in the human world long enough, she completely knew what he meant. Thanks to those manga she kept reading. As to how this particular hollow could say such a thing, she had no idea.

Ichigo's hollow laughed. "Jealous? They do…after all…have a more gorgeous body than yours."

"Of all the nerve!" Rukia pulled herself together and stomped towards the hollow. She glared at him. "How dare you say something like that to me!"

"Why? Isn't it the truth?" The other said tauntingly.

The shinigami gritted her teeth. She was getting angry at Ichigo's hollow side. He was too cocky and flustering, yes, utterly flustering. But then again, as what was thought as a Kuchiki, she should remain level-headed, and so with all restraint, she evened out her tone.

"Hmph." She snottily turned her head to one side. "Why would I care with what you think anyway?" This time, it was her turn to smirk. "I don't care about trivial things such as comparing myself to those women. I am here as a shinigami and nothing more."

"Nothing more?" Ichigo's hollow self arched another brow as he straightened himself.

"Ah." Rukia placed her hands on her hips and closed her eyes snobbishly. "Nothing more."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Ultimately?"

"I am a Kuchiki. I shouldn't be bothered by these mortal things." She remarked proudly.

"These mortal things can offer interesting emotions."

"They don't matter to me." She said matter-of-factly.

"They don't, eh?" The hollow started to grin darkly.

"Hmmm?" Rukia peered with one eye. Somehow, she felt a sudden shift of reiatsu. "Oi…" She stepped backwards when she realized that the hollow had paced closer to her.

His crazy smile was as evident as ever. "Shall we test it, then?" His white pupil's shimmered menacingly at Rukia.

"Test it?" She narrowed her eyes and went to defense position. Her hand eased around her zanpakutou's handle in full guard. She had no idea what the hollow was up to, but the growing instability of his reiatsu could never bring any good.

"Yeah." Ichigo's hollow self titled his head to one side. His smile was creepily inhuman. "And I shall prove you wrong. Hehebe…"

"What are you doing?" Rukia was on the verge of pulling her zanpakutou out. _Shit, did I tick him? There is no way I could win against him in battle. Way to go, Rukia. _Then, she shifted nervously. "What does a hollow like you know about emotions anyway!" She made a flail attempt to somehow stick to reasoning instead of violence.

"Oh, everything." The hollow remarked with his dark aura building up around him. "Emotions are the very foundation of my strength; Ichigo's and mine. You'd be surprise at the intensity of these hidden feelings Ichigo has inside. **The very thing which seemed to had fueled my existence**. Like what I said earlier. He is me and I am him. For all this time, I resided deep within his subconscious…" Ichigo's hollow self towered over Rukia's petite body. "…and they do say **that a person's innermost desires can be found inside his subconscious mind**." By this time, each step he made towards her became a huge threat as his reiatsu continued to rise.

"So…what are you going to do now? Kill me?" She tried her best to throw a brave glare at him, but the fear that was starting to creep back to her was becoming a hindrance. "Don't tell me that Ichigo's innermost desire is to kill me."

"Not in that way." The other said.

A trickle of sweat rolled down Rukia's temples. "I don't understand."

The hollow chuckled; his insane expression never left his face. "Shall I demonstrate…" It sounded more like a statement than a question. "…one of Ichigo's most innermost desires which he seemed to have been failing to see."

She didn't like the way he talked and how his reiatsu tripled. "You. Don't come any closer." She was about to unsheathe her zanpakutou when…

…her body suddenly felt being crushed.

_What the…? _

It was as if she was being heavily restrained which prevented her to move an inch. Her heart thumped faster inside her chest and her breath grew heavier. It felt like she was being pinned down which even prevented her from speaking.

Then, it hit her.

_Kidou...!_

She looked at Ichigo's hollow side who was dangerously within arm's length. He stood there with a very wide taunting grin. Both his hands were at his sides. Surely, he couldn't have performed demon arts. He didn't even speak a chant.

_He couldn't have performed a binding spell!...Could he?_

A series of thoughts swarmed inside Rukia's head. She was good in Kidou and there was no way she could have missed it if the hollow in front of her, indeed performed it. And heck, Ichigo doesn't even know how to perform Kidou. He didn't go through Shinigami School nor was he trained formally in the orthodox way of being a shinigami. Ichigo couldn't have learned how to execute demon arts. And even if he did learn it from somewhere, which was unlikely, he never used one…ever.

_Then, what is this? Why can't I move? Why am I literally in a bind? _Questions raced inside Rukia's head.

"Ho-humm?" Ichigo's hollow self spoke with a teasing tone. "It is what you think it is."

_Impossible! _Rukia's logic refused to accept. _How can he possibly conjure it? Or rather, when did he…?_

And as if reading her thoughts, the white hollow continued. "We used to perform Kidou differently…**in the old days**."

_In the old days? Wha--? _The petite shinigami was getting more confused by the minute.

Ichigo's hollow self laughed. It was obvious that he was enjoying this.

"Shall I proceed in demonstrating?" He took another step closer. Rukia's eyes were wide. She didn't know what to expect from the dangerous hollow.

_Am I going to die now? _She silently cursed. _You've done it this time, Rukia. _She scolded herself and waited for the blow to come.

But what happened the next few seconds was far from the danger she was anticipating. Her eyes remained wide, not from fear, but from shock as Ichigo's hollow self suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and bent his head down towards her. She felt her little body being pulled up to meet his face. For a moment, her eyes were locked on a pair of white smirking irises, but after a while, the creepiness dissipated and his look had somehow softened as he eventually closed his eyes and inched his parted mouth towards Rukia's dumbfounded lips.

She panicked when she realized what the hollow was about to do. But, alas, she couldn't do anything. But even if she could, what would she do?

She held her breath and waited…

…closer…

…and closer…

…**but** **before his mouth could touch hers**…

…a ray of light beckoned in the horizon as warm **sunrise** flooded the skies and pushed the night away.

And in an instant, Rukia found herself eye-to-eye with a pair of brown eyes instead of white. Strands of orange hair swept on her face as morning air blew on top of the roof. They stared at each other unmoving.

"Ichi..go?" Rukia murmured. Apparently, she was released from the Kidou which bound her earlier.

"Rukia?" Ichigo whispered back with a touch of being lost in his tone. Their faces were still inches apart.

"Ichigo.," She said once more.

"Rukia…" Ichigo replied.

Then, everything finally registered on both their senses.

"ICHIGO!" , "RUKIA!" They screamed in unison. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!" Both of them shouted the same words at each other and jumped as faraway as possible; the gap was utterly widened.

"Hell, me?" It was Rukia who recovered first. "You were the one who grabbed me towards you!"

"What do you mean 'me'…!" Ichigo growled. "I just regained control of my body!" He drastically pointed towards the now bright horizon. "Sunrise, Rukia! Sunrise!"

The sun was up and morning was officially there. Both of them were panting as if they just ran a mile.

"I know hell it is sunrise!" Rukia shouted. "And I am mighty glad it is day time already!"

But Ichigo just looked at her with unsure eyes. He was somewhat trembling, but nevertheless, spoke back to the petite shinigami. "Oi…what's my hollow self about to do to you?" His voice came up coarse.

She was speechless for a moment. She didn't know how to answer Ichigo. Should she tell that she thought his hollow side was about to…_kiss her_?

"Ummm…" She fumbled as she felt her cheeks getting hot. _No…I can't do it. There is still the possibility that that bastard was just teasing me or making me uncomfortable. Surely, he really didn't mean to actually… _Her thoughts trailed off.

"Rukia?" Ichigo looked uncomfortable.

She narrowed her eyes. _Could he have probably guessed? I do recall him saying a couple of days ago that he doesn't remember the events which happens at night during the time his hollow side takes over. So he couldn't have known what that white bastard was up to…right? _

"Oi…" Ichigo spoke again.

The look emanating from his face was greatly troubling her that without any more thoughts, she hurriedly blurted out, "He was trying to kill me!"

"He was?" Ichigo looked as if it wasn't what he was expecting to hear, but he eventually perked up with a wide smile; it was more of a relieved smile, though. "Of course, he was! What else could he be doing…I mean, that's why he was holding you by the neck…which I do realize," He gazed down at his hand. "…that I also ended up doing as well since I gained back control. Yes, that was it. I made it just in time! That was quite a close call! Thank God! Ha! Ha!"

He laughed and Rukia joined him. "Haha, yes! That was close! Haha! What timing!" Both of them continued to laugh awkwardly.

"You could have been a goner!" Ichigo exclaimed as he pointed at Rukia.

"Ha ha…yes." The petite shinigami remarked. Somehow inside, she felt a little disappointed, but nevertheless, kicked herself out of the feeling since she should be glad that Ichigo bought it.

"So…" The guy in front of her started to say. He was rubbing his chin; his distinct frown etched on his forehead. "…Are you okay? I mean…you don't look injured. You actually survived the whole night."

Rukia nodded. "Yeah. Miraculously. He was after me for the first hour, but it was more of playing around to see my strength than anything else."

"So you fought with him?"

"Not exactly." Again, she was calculating inside on how much he would tell Ichigo. "He…uh…he seemed to have concluded that I am not a worthy opponent and went off somewhere else." Well, it was true. Ichigo's hollow side did say something about her being pathetic and a disappointment. Rukia nodded to herself. _This reply is sufficient enough…for now. _

"Really?" Ichigo looked surprised but eventually exhaled in relief. "That's good. I am so worried on what could have happened. Look at what he did to Byakuya and the others."

Rukia sweat-dropped and chuckled nervously. "Yeah. I am lucky."

"Where did he go off to?" Ichigo's head spun around and studied the perimeter for damage. Aside from a few dents on the roofs and a broken gate on one of his neighbors' house; everything seemed fine.

She followed his gaze. "Well, I don't know." She walked towards Ichigo's side. "I couldn't keep up with his shunpo. He was far too fast for me."

"What did Soul Society say? They didn't get any horrible report from somewhere, did they?"

Rukia shook her head. "My phone was completely silent. I didn't receive any alert from them which could only mean that he didn't cause any havoc on wherever he went to."

Ichigo's frown deepened. "That's strange. I would expect him to cause damage with no one around to stop him."

"Hmmm…yeah. I am surprised, too." She replied. "Oi, Ichigo…don't you remember anything? Anything at all that could give us clues on where he was last night?"

Ichigo searched his mind for a moment but eventually shook his head. "No. I couldn't remember anything. There wasn't even a vague or hazy memory." He answered.

"I see." Rukia plainly said.

"Anyway," Ichigo stretched his arms. He was back in wearing his normal human clothes; jeans and shirt. "I'm just glad that you are still in one piece. Hell, I was worried."

She remained quiet. She doesn't really know how to answer or supplement Ichigo's words. She silently cursed the white hollow for being difficult to deal with. Beside her, Ichigo yawned.

"This transformation during night time is consuming much of my energy. I have no idea where he goes to, but Sandal-hat did warn me that he and I are sharing one body, hence, my physical self is getting stressed out and pushed to its limits." He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. "It will be like my body is functioning for the whole twenty-four hours."

"Will you hold out?" Rukia looked a little worried. Ichigo, after all, was still human.

"I have no choice." Ichigo slumped down against the roof. "I have to deal with this."

"There must be some way to reverse this and place everything back to normal." The petite shinigami remarked. "That Urahara…" A never popped out on her side. "…he used to be very responsible with his merchandise. I can't believe he allowed something like this to happen."

"Sandal-hat is responsible with his defective merchandise. I can hardly call the thing he did to me as defective." Ichigo pointed out. "He did say the effects."

"If he said the effects then why go through it still!" Rukia scolded. "How could endanger everyone like this?"

"I have no choice!" Ichigo barked back. "He is going to consume me sooner or later, Rukia. I couldn't control him any longer. It is better to think ahead and find a way for me to calm him down."

"Then, how is this turning to your hollow self going to calm him down? For all I see, it only gave him the satisfaction of tasting the real world." She reasoned.

"I don't know, okay." Ichigo looked irritated. "But Sandal-hat did say something about knowing what it is like to be my hollow…so we switched places. He said it is the only way for me to understand and realize the best way to deal with him."

"And what is it like when you switch places with him? You said you had no memory of what he does when he takes over."

"I couldn't see what's going on in the real world, but I was in his little world inside me."

"Huh?" Rukia looked confused. "Little world inside you?"

Ichigo sighed. He didn't know how to explain to the girl about that slanted world inside him where he first met Zangetsu and even first battled with his hollow self.

"Nevermind." He opted saying instead. "Let's just say I am awake but blocked out of the things happening here."

"Well unblock yourself!" Rukia exclaimed.

"If I know how to do that, I would have done that already!" Ichigo replied.

"Maybe that is what Urahara wanted you to learn." The thought swam inside Rukia's head. "Think of a way to surface back to your body and fight your hollow side."

But Ichigo just shrugged. "Maybe."

"Hmph!" The petite shinigami frowned at him disapprovingly. "You don't look like you are doing your best."

"What's that supposed to mean." The orange-haired guy shot her a side glance.

"Honestly, I think you are goofing off." She set her mouth in a grim line.

"Goofing off!"

"Yeah." She crossed her arms. "You look carefree and relaxed to me."

"Are you blind! Can't you see how worried I am!" Ichigo exclaimed unbelievingly.

"Worried, yes…but you are not doing anything." Rukia pointed. "It had been days since you first transformed into him, but I don't see you do anything else than mope around."

Ichigo's expression suddenly became annoyed. He stood up and faced the smaller individual. "You have no idea what I am going through inside, so don't just jump into conclusions that I am not doing my best." He said in a serious tone.

Rukia glared at him. "Oh really? What exactly have you been doing inside your subconscious?" She recalled the hollow saying something about him feeding on Ichigo's most hidden emotions. "What are your most innermost desires, Ichigo?"

For a moment, Ichigo looked taken aback. Rukia continued with her little interrogation.

"Do your hidden aspirations include killing everyone else?" She asked.

"What!"

"Be honest, Ichigo." She insisted. "Your hollow self said his existence was fueled by emotions stored in your subconscious mind and most likely, your hidden desires."

"Really?" A surprised expression crept on Ichigo's face. "He actually said something like that?"

"He insanely said it." Rukia answered as she recalled the hollow's creepy face.

Ichigo reverted back to being silent. He seemed to be thinking about something before asking again. "What else did he say?"

Rukia studied the guy in front of her. She had known Ichigo for a quite a while and was used to his character, but something tells her now that she might be overly assuming his personality.

"You aren't hiding something from me now, are you?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Hmmm? What? Me?" Ichigo replied discerningly. "What would I hide?"

"I don't know. You tell me." Rukia remarked as she scrutinized him. _He looked uncomfortable with the topic._

"To be honest, Rukia, I don't know how to quite deal with this situation."

"Maybe you can just tell me everything so I can help you." She offered.

But the orange-head guy shook his head. "No. I can handle this. I can somehow figure it out." He shrugged.

"Ichigo…" She looked at him unsurely. Ichigo had always been independent and tried to face things his own way. A trait, perhaps, he had gotten from being protective of his little sisters since his mother died.

He looked away and inserted his hands in his pockets. He seemed to be deep in thought. Even though, she wanted to reach out, she wasn't exactly the best person to do this.

"Err…" The guy beside her started to say. "…Rukia…"

"Hmm?"

"Just a while ago…" He looked unsure. "…before the sun rose…are you sure that was what he was doing?"

"Excuse me?" Rukia swallowed nervously.

"I mean…" Ichigo shifted from one feet to another. "…was he really about to do what you said he was about to?"

"Ummm…" And they were back to the topic. "…what else should he be doing?"

"Well…uh…" He stammered. "…just maybe…he was…"

"…" Rukia nervously waited.

"He was…" Ichigo avoided her eyes.

"He was?"

"He…" An uncomfortable aura surrounded both of them. "He…"

_**--sfx: insert running and jumping sound here--**_

"**THERE YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON!**" Isshin shouted and sent Ichigo flying in the air with one of his super duper mega ultra kick.

_**--sfx: insert crashing sound here as Ichigo bumped here and there before finally falling off the roof--**_

"A-ra?" Ichigo's father looked surprised for a moment. "Was my kick that strong?"

Behind him, Rukia's mouth was open and her face was twitching. She had no idea where the man came from. She didn't even feel his presence a while ago. _This guy… _She thought. _…is really good in creeping up to people. _For now, she didn't move. Although, Ichigo and his sisters seemed to have special abilities in seeing and feeling a spirit's presence, their father doesn't manifest this ability. She could safely assume that he could not see her. Staying still in her shinigami form in order not make any unnecessary noise was her best option.

"**YOU OLD GEEZER!" **Ichigo suddenly popped out from the edge of the roof and threw a very powerful punch towards his father which landed right smack on his face.

This time, it was Isshin's turn to get hurled away.

_**--sfx: insert another crashing sound here--**_

"YOU…" The orange-haired teen growled. "…HOW COULD YOU CAUSE THIS MUCH COMMOTION THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING!"

But in an instant, Isshin appeared beside his son with piece of cloths stuck inside his nose to stop the bleeding. How fast he was able to get immediate remedy for his injury, one could only wonder. Then again, he was a doctor after all.

"HAHAHAHA!" Isshin laughed loudly. "My son, you must always be prepared. Who knows what might suddenly happen!"

"Like what!"

"Like…" Ichigo's father rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "…for example…an airplane might fall from the sky and hit you right smack on the head."

"Like something like that would actually happen!" Ichigo exclaimed. "And even if it did, what makes you think I can avoid such a large aircraft!"

Isshin nodded with full determination. "Anything can be done with proper training."

"That's absurd!" Ichigo shouted. "And the next thing you would probably have me do is dodge bullets!"

Behind them, Rukia caught Ichigo's attention as she waved her small hand at him and gestured at a cardboard she was holding. As to where she was able to get one, he could only wonder.

Written on the white board were the words:

'**_It can be done using shunpo…the thing with the plane.'_**

And underneath it, there were stick men drawings demonstrating how to avoid the crash using flash step. The illustration was, of course, horrible.

Ichigo's brows twitched. _Does she have to draw it? _

Rukia blinked at him as if she couldn't understand why he had such a facial expression, but probably interpreted wrongly as she flipped the board towards her and added something then showed it once more to Ichigo.

She added:

"**_Dodging bullets will be a piece of cake, too."_**

She seemed serious and nodded in agreement to what Ichigo's father said earlier.

Ichigo's face was indescribable. He didn't know whether to be bothered with his father's lunacy or be grimaced at Rukia's horrible drawing and being gullible enough to actually support his old man's logic thinking that he was probably missing the part that some _'alternative'_ measures could be taken.

Of course, he knew that shunpo was an option if something like that would actually happen. He could even use his zanpakutou to destroy any large objects coming towards him.

_Like I would tell my father something like that. _He reasoned silently inside. _Heck, like I would tell any normal human being that._

But his trail of thoughts was interrupted when his father's hand suddenly landed on his shoulders and gripped him hard.

"Ichigo…" Isshin started with a serious face. "…it is better to be prepared than sorry. I've seen the wounds caused by these incidents and they are not pretty."

"If I'll get injured then I'll get injured. If I die then I die. If it's my time to go, I'll go!" Ichigo was still hot with irritation.

Isshin looked hurt for a moment. "I am doctor. I try to keep people alive everyday and I will be a failure as a father if I can't save my own son." His eyes wavered. He became silent.

_-silence-_

_-silence-_

_-silence-_

"Oi…" Ichigo reached out and was taken aback at his father's sincere expression, but before he could say anything else, Isshin turned around dramatically and cried exaggeratedly in front of something…big.

"Masaki, my love! I am failure as a father! I could not even teach our son proper survival techniques!" Isshin hugged his wife's huge portrait with tears streaming down on his face.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU END UP HAVING MOM'S PICTURE ON TOP OF THE ROOF!"

Isshin stopped crying but still kept sniffing. "The living room will undergo repairs starting today. I had to pry my beloved Masaki off the wall for a while." He answered bluntly.

"Don't refer to Mom as if she was an object hanging around!" Ichigo scolded the man. "That's only her picture. That's not her!"

In the background, Rukia could only sigh as she watched the father-son exchange.

"Oh but in spirit…she will always be with us and this memorabilia will remind us of this fact." His father answered with a nod.

"I will always think that! I don't need to defer to an object just to get reminded!" Ichigo countered. "And don't tell me that you are going to carry Mom's picture around until the repairs are done."

Isshin grinned; a tooth sparkled. "Of course." He wielded a thumb up at Ichigo's face. "This is an opportunity for me and Masaki to be always together." With that, he strapped the huge portrait on his back with ropes fastening it securely.

Ichigo's brows kept twitching. "You're crazy." He remarked.

His father seemed to have forgotten about their _'survival' _argument and went on ahead towards the ladder. He waved a hand at Ichigo. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes." And with that, he climbed down and disappeared.

Ichigo, on the other hand, just stood there with an expression of matching irritation, frustration and disbelief. "I can't believe that man is actually my father."

Rukia stepped closer to him and gazed at the area where his father exited. A smirk crept on her lips.

"What?" Ichigo shot her a side glance.

"Actually, I can believe it." The petite shinigami replied.

"Huh?"

"He's frustrating attitude is somewhat like your hollow side." She observed.

"WHAT!"

"Both of them are frustrating." Rukia closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her. "Perhaps, it is a trait you never knew you had inside." She nodded at her deduction.

"Oh now, you're suddenly an expert in hollow psychiatry."

"Well, he did say something about things inside you that you fail to notice." Rukia _slightly _revised Ichigo's hollow's words.

"He did? Like what?" The other asked.

"Welll…ummm…" She mumbled. _Okay, Rukia…wrong move. _She kicked herself for blurting things out carelessly. "well like…"

"Like?" Ichigo impatiently waited.

"Like…" She searched her thoughts for something half true.

"Like?"

"Ichigo!" Isshin's head suddenly popped out from the ladder which caused the two to jump back in surprise.

"Don't do that!" Ichigo exclaimed when he recovered. "What are you trying to do? Give us…err…**give me** a heart attack?"

"Don't worry." His father replied. "I'm a doctor. I will perform emergency treatment on you. We also have a clinic downstairs and…"

"Alright already." Ichigo raked his hair. "What is it? Why did you come back?"

"There are other things I need to move from the living room. Do you mind if I place some stuffs inside your room?" He asked.

"No problem. Go ahead."

"Okay." He nodded. "I'll place some things there now before I start making breakfast." And he went down the ladder and left Ichigo and Rukia alone once more.

"That old man…" Ichigo sighed.

"Ichigo," Rukia grabbed the end of his shirt.

"Hmmm? What?"

"My gigai…"

"Huh?"

"My gigai is in your room." She said. "We'd better go." She hurriedly turned on her heals.

"What's the big fuss? You don't have to worry about anything. He won't open my closet. He would just probably dump things on the floor."

Rukia stopped on her tracks. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I am." Ichigo casually said with a yawn. "Damn. I fee so tired. I wish…" But he was cut off when his father's voice boomed from inside the house.

"**ICHIGO! YOU COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" **Isshin said on top of his lungs.

Ichigo and Rukia stared at each other for a moment.

"Nah…he couldn't possibly have…" Ichigo started to say.

"Ichigo, you idiot!" Rukia shouted and immediately jumped off the roof towards the open window of Ichigo's room.

On the other hand, Ichigo practically flew down the ladder towards Isshin's location. When he finally got there, he found his father standing under his room's door frame with his mouth wide open. The moment he saw Ichigo, he became teary-eyed.

"My little boy is all grown up now." His father remarked.

Ichigo couldn't understand why his father was reacting that way. If he was only standing at the door then he couldn't have possibly saw Rukia's gigai inside his closet. It must be something else.

"What? What is it?" Ichigo said with curiosity starting to eat him. He brushed passed his father and almost lost his balance the moment he saw what made his father call out to him. Crouching on the window, Rukia's face was indescribable as she stared on the figure on Ichigo's bed.

There, lying peacefully snuggled on his pillows, was none other than Rukia's gigai. As if it was not damaging enough for his father to see a girl on his bed, it was a major attention grabber since Rukia's gigai wasn't wearing her normal clothes.

Rukia's gigai was wearing a nightgown; a **rather short, laced and sexy nightgown**.

Ichigo was speechless and was utterly gaping. He wasn't quite sure if it was okay to look or what, but nevertheless his eyes traveled down towards the stomach area where a piece of paper stood out.

'**_My little gift. Hope you like it…_**

…**_coz I did...while removing the other ones you wore.'_**

"!" Ichigo didn't know what to do. He just looked from the bed to his father and then to Rukia who mirrored an equally same expression he had on his face—dumbfounded and shocked except that Rukia's seemed to be starting to show signs of fury and anger.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

**Author's Note:**

Nyahahahahaha! But I'll be honest…I can't write faster. I have quite a few active fics that this story was the last one to join my round robin updating scheme. But nevertheless, I will still try to keep writing since it gives me a break from my usually serious fics. But I'm surprised that this story actually got reviews. Hehe Well, keep em coming, so I will be pressured to write more.

About the comments about the confusion in 'this', 'that' and 'it' in Isshin-Kisuke convo in the previous chappie, well hang in there coz I'm the type of writer who gives clues behind as the story progresses. Even though this story is geared to be 'light', I can't have it go around without having an actual plot behind everything. It would be pointless that way; hence, I'm infusing an explanation in regards to Ichigo's source of strength.

R and R Onegai Shimasu!


	4. Same Person?

"_**Oh, HOLLOW Night"**_

By Majah

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Bleach but I do own the story in this fic and things that are non-Bleach. All the name of places, historical events and other things mentioned which you don't seem to know IRL, are products of my imagination. Any similarities with the actual thing are purely coincidental.

**Author's Note:**

I believe the anime was able to catch up in the manga, but my fic didn't. Lolz. So in this story, it was the timeline after Soul Society arc but before the Aizen arc. I'm not considering the Bountou arc because that part was just a filler in the anime.

* * *

**  
Chapter Four: "Same Person?"**

Ichigo was gaping. He didn't know what to do nor how to react. Normally, he would rely for Rukia's support but such action seemed impossible with Rukia, herself, involved in this _'little' _scene.

_How on earth did this happen? Who did this? _Ichigo thought as his eyes fell on the piece of paper.

'_**My little gift. Hope you like it…**_

…_**because I did...while removing the other ones you wore.' **_He ran the words inside his head once again.

_Gift? What gift? _ Ichigo was so confused inside. _While removing the ones I wore? Huh?_

In contrast to the puzzled orange-haired teen, a certain petite shinigami began gritting her teeth, for she understood it all well. By all gods, she understood it alright; clear and precise.

_That bastard! _She thought inwardly. _How dare he! Even though, it's just my gigai…it is still the same as my body. How dare he! _

At the center of the room, Ichigo stood motionless. He was staring down at Rukia's gigai on his bed. The sexy nightgown it wore was starting to take a toll on him…_just little_—as a man.

Apparently, Rukia noticed this and quickly jumped between Ichigo and the bed which cut off his view of her almost naked gigai. Her arms went up on both sides as she tried to cover the extent of the sprawled body behind her. Her eyes hissed dangerously towards him that if looks could kill; Ichigo might have been dead by now.

"E-to…" Sweat trickled down his temples at the intensity of Rukia's glare. He didn't know what exactly was going on but it somehow felt like it was his fault. "I didn't do anything." He said.

He was expecting Rukia to reply but instead, someone else spoke, another occupant of the room whom Ichigo had almost forgotten.

"Ichigo…" Isshin remarked in a rather serious tone as his hand fell hard on his son's shoulder which caused the latter to jerk upright.

"P—pops!" Ichigo fumbled. "I…! I can explain!"

His father looked at him intently, and for the first time Ichigo saw themselves as father and son by the way Isshin currently carried himself.

"Ichigo," Isshin started once more. "A man should always take responsibility for his actions. You shouldn't be denying the obvious. There's nothing more painful to a woman when her man denies everything after getting what he wants from her."

"WHAT?" Ichigo almost choked. Seriously, his father wouldn't think that he and Rukia had actually…

Then, Isshin suddenly got teary-eyed. "And to think that this girl seemed so fragile and helpless." He balled his free hand into a fist and shook it in parallel to his trembling yet sympathetic voice.

Both Ichigo's and Rukia's brows twitched.

_Fragile? _The orange-haired teen thought.

_Helpless? _The raven-haired shinigami's mind supplemented. _Me?_

The older man continued. "I was so happy that my son had finally taken a step forward towards becoming a man, but I am utterly disappointed with the_ 'playing innocent'_ reaction that you are displaying now."

"Playing innocent?" Ichigo's mind was screaming inside. _Hell! I didn't do anything!_

"How could you not face this as a man, Ichigo?" His father sobbed. "I am really disappointed." Then, he suddenly turned towards the bed, much to Ichigo's and Rukia's horror. "OH, YOU POOR LITTLE GIRL! COME TO FATHER-IN-LAW'S CONSOLING ARMS!" He lurched forward with his arms wide open.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING YOU PERVERTED OLD MAN!" Ichigo shouted and hurled his father away from the bed which caused Isshin to crash unto Ichigo's closet.

Rukia, on the other hand, collapsed on the bed. She sat and exhaled in relief as Ichigo continued to confront his father. She was glad that Ichigo interrupted in time. She wasn't exactly sure on what she could have done if Isshin's hands reached her gigai. Should she possess her gigai now? But she didn't know how to squirm their way out of this _'little' _situation. She would rather cover up for hollow appearances than this awkward scene.

"Just when I thought you are being fatherly." The orange-haired teen mumbled as he stomped towards his father's rundown figure.

"Oh, but I am being fatherly!" Isshin immediately recovered despite the obvious bumps and scratches on his body. "Ichigo, you…" But before he could continue what he was about to say, his hands clutched something. "Hmm?" Isshin blinked and gazed down at the area surrounding him.

Ichigo did a double take. _Oh, shit! I threw him inside my closet! _

Behind him, Rukia was frantic. _Ichigo, you idiot!_

Isshin studied the perimeter, more specifically, the "now-exposed" closet of his son due to the broken sliding doors where he had landed earlier. "This is…?" There were personalized things inside—_feminine things_. His father reached out and revealed an opened bag. Incidentally, something fell from the bag…

…a white bra fell from the bag unto Isshin's lap.

Ichigo almost lost his balance and blushed to death the moment he realized what it was, while Rukia stood with her face completely red from embarrassment.

In front of them, Isshin's aura changed once more. This time, in a more dangerous level as one could almost see the flames rising behind him.

"**I--C--H--I--G—O…**" His father's eyes shone menacingly at him. "**This girl has been staying with you, hasn't she?**" Isshin slowly stood up. "**For how long had this been going on? How long have you been sleeping together under my roof?**"

Rukia cringed at the words _'sleeping together'_ as Ichigo's hollow side's comment swam back inside her head. _'Don't you __sleep in the same room__ as him whenever you are in the human world?' _It echoed within her.

"N-no…Pops!" Ichigo gulped. "It is not what you think!"

"**And you still deny your relationship with your girlfriend?**" Isshin towered over Ichigo.

"Girl…Girlfriend? No!" Ichigo stepped back. "It's just…it's just…it's…" What the hell was he was supposed to say?

_This is getting off-hand. _Rukia thought as she closed her eyes. _Should I intervene? _She gazed at her almost naked gigai on Ichigo's bed.

"Ummm…ummm…" Ichigo looked at Rukia who in return gestured towards her gigai as if saying, '_I'm going in'_. He shook his head. _No…if Rukia joins us, it may complicate things. _ He thought. _ Complicate things with that blasted skimpy nightgown. _ Ichigo was almost too scared to see what Rukia would look like if she stood up from his bed, completely exposed in broad daylight.

"Ichigo," His father straightened himself from the closet's debris. "I would accept the fact that your hormones had finally gotten to you." Isshin nodded his head seriously.

"Ho—hormones…" Ichigo twitched.

"But a man must take responsibility for his actions!" His father's voice boomed. "Look at the poor thing!" He pointed towards Rukia's gigai. "You probably _worked_ her so much that she is too tired to even be awakened by our voices!"

"WHAT!" Ichigo choked as his face displayed different shades of red. Near him, Rukia's cheeks seemed to be having the same kind of reaction towards Isshin's words.

_Do something, Rukia! _Rukia scolded herself. _Do something! _Her body shook as she debated on whether to plunge into her gigai or not.

Meanwhile, Ichigo's mind was in chaos. _I can't believe how disastrous for Pops to see all of this. But why the heck was Rukia's gigai wearing that thing anyway? What's going on? _

'_**Hehehe…' **_A voice within him interrupted his thoughts.

Ichigo heard it and was stunned. It made a chill come up his spine. It was as if someone was smiling and enjoying every part of this whole mumbo jumbo. The confused teen frowned. _What was that…just now? Don't tell me it's…_

_**[--an image of a smirking white-faced hollow flashed inside his mind --**_

With his father's lectures continuing in the background, Ichigo slowly turned his head towards the petite shinigami. Unfortunately, Rukia's attention wasn't focus on him any longer. Sweat trickled down her temples as her body language suggested that she was about to repossess her gigai. Ichigo's eyes widened as he switched his gaze from the girl and then to her unanimated gigai. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the shinigami jump towards the bed.

Ichigo didn't know why but the idea of Rukia coming out in the open like that was causing huge panic inside him. It felt as if he was some kind of culprit that in the end, his body moved beyond his control as the confused and troubled expression was replaced by a determined frown. He moved towards his father in one fast motion, almost undetectable by the naked eye and hit the back of Isshin's neck with three swift pokes by his fingers. On an instant, Isshin lost consciousness and fell on the floor about the same time when Rukia entered her gigai. Ichigo grabbed one of his shirts and immediately threw it at the petite girl's direction to cover her exposed flesh.

After that, neither Ichigo nor Rukia spoke. Everything happened so fast and the only thing that could be heard was the orange-haired teen's heavy breathing as he tried to catch his breath for doing something he wasn't expecting to do. Rukia's midnight eyes were fixed at Isshin's still form on the floor as she clutched Ichigo's shirt around her. She was dumbfounded while sitting on the bed.

"Ichigo…" Rukia finally broke the silence. "…what did you do?" She asked in a shocked tone.

Ichigo's shoulders heaved up and down. "I…" He answered in an almost out of breath manner. "…I'm not sure."

"Did you…just attack your father?" She asked as her vigilant eyes studied the scene.

Ichigo blinked and stared down at his father's motionless form. "Did I?"

"Somewhat." Then, Rukia asked once more. "Was that shunpo?"

"I think so." He replied. "Nothing wrong with shunpo, right?" He slightly chuckled nervously. He bent his head and stared at his hand.

"But what followed after that?" Rukia pointed out. This time, she raised her eyes towards him.

Ichigo's hand slightly shook. "I'm not so sure." He said again.

"God, Ichigo!" Things finally sank in which made Rukia jump out of the bed and crouch in front of Isshin's form. "You just hit the vital points in his neck area." She reached out to touch the old man's pulse and gave a sigh of relief. "He is still breathing. For a moment there I thought you might have overdone it. I didn't know that you are capable of doing something like this." Heck, she saw her brother do it, and even Urahara, but Ichigo? The same feeling aroused within her as that time when Ichigo's hollow performed kidou the night before. Since when did Ichigo know how to do these things?

"What do you mean?" Ichigo's voice was weak, but nevertheless he peered at his father and then to Rukia.

"One mistake, one slight slip and you could have paralyzed him permanently!" The raven-haired girl exclaimed.

"WHAT!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What do you mean, 'What'?" Rukia glared at him. "You're the one who did it. Don't you know the risks of doing a technique like that? And to think that you did it to your own father!"

"I…" Ichigo's face was stricken. "…I didn't know."

"What?" It was Rukia's turn to react.

"I didn't know." Ichigo repeated and stared down at his fingers.

The petite girl gaped in disbelief. "You didn't know? But your father could have been a vegetable for the rest of his life. How could you be so reckless?"

Ichigo didn't answer.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted demandingly.

"I DON'T KNOW OKAY!" Ichigo snapped and quickly strode out of the room, leaving the petite girl gaping.

Once he stepped outside his room, he shut the door behind him and let himself slide down towards the floor. He covered his face with his hands and bent forward as he sat quietly but he was breathing hard as he contemplated.

_What have I done? _ Ichigo kept asking himself. _What did…I do just now? _

On an instant, a pair of creepy white eyes dashed inside his consciousness like a flare of blinding light which made Ichigo's body jolt with lingering electricity.

"Shit." He cursed as he violently shook his head. He seemed to have lost the equilibrium of his body as he attempted to stand up but only ended leaning against the wall since his body swayed horribly. He raked his orange hair and tried to breathe normally, trying to clear his mind, only to experience another distinct flash of _someone_ laughing tauntingly.

"Damn you." Ichigo muttered under his breath but the laughter continued within him. "It's morning already." He exclaimed. "Go away."

But the provocative sneer danced inside him which made Ichigo clutch his head. "Go away." He helplessly murmured. "Leave me alone." His surroundings started to spin around him, that before he knew it, he lost his footing and dropped face down on the floor with a loud thud. He couldn't move neither a muscle nor call for help as his senses started leaving him little by little.

He did manage, though, to hear someone calling his name from behind.

"Ichigo!" Worry and shock enveloped Rukia's voice as she burst out of his room.

She seemed to be saying something but Ichigo could no longer make it out as his eyes drooped and everything went black.

* * *

Rukia stared at the two adjacent doors. The right one catered a knocked out middle-aged man while the other accommodated an unconscious teen who suddenly fainted in the hallway. It took her some time to place both father and son to their respective beds after giving them emergency treatment. The task wasn't easy considering that she was still wearing the skimpy nightgown.

The petite girl fumed at the thought of the _little _gift Ichigo's hollow left for her.

"That bastard." She balled her fist as she glanced at the wall clock. Ten hours till sun down. "He'd better be prepared." She stomped left. She stomped right. "I don't care if he is supposed to be someone dangerous. I'll show him how lethal a Kuchiki can be." Dark aura surrounded Rukia as she became engrossed in entertaining various thoughts.

_[---Insert Rukia thought cloud here with her chibi self lowering Ichigo's chibi hollow down a hungry mob of ants--_

"No…no…not good. It is still Ichigo's body after all." Rukia gritted her teeth. "Damn." She walked towards the front of Ichigo's room and stared at the closed door, then eventually sighed. "What's going on inside you, Ichigo?" She ran her hand on the closed door. The petite girl couldn't explain it, but the orange-haired teen started acting weird after _'silencing' _his own father, then suddenly collapsing due to exhaustion.

It was due to exhaustion, right?

Though a part of her pointed out that Ichigo seemed fine while he was confronting his father with their little mess, her study of his unconscious body suggested that he may have exerted himself too much, thus, causing his physical state to give away. He was, after all, up for twenty-four hours straight. A human body could only sustain to a certain degree. And who knew what his hollow side had been up to the whole night.

Rukia had gotten irritated once more at the thought of the cheeky hollow. "I hardly call acquiring a nightgown something that would exert too much energy. Urgh!" She sharply turned around while clutching Ichigo's white shirt around her. She calmed down a bit when she realized that Ichigo threw his school uniform towards her in the middle of the commotion. "I should really change back to normal clothes."

She eyed her surroundings for a moment. It was almost nine and she knew that an hour from now, workers might be arriving to fix the living room. What was she going to do? Greet them when they knock? Seriously, why do these things have to happen?

"And why the heck is soul society being so quiet!" She frustratingly exclaimed as she shook her cell phone which was supposedly her only link back to her division.

But wasn't she supposed to be glad that soul society wasn't checking up on her? After all, how would she explain what _'exactly'_ happened the night before? Ichigo's hollow was utterly unpredictable and seemed to have harbored a very disturbing reasoning.

"_**Anything that belongs to Ichigo is also mine."**_

She recalled him saying.

"_**Emotions are the very foundation of my strength; Ichigo's and mine. You'd be surprise at the intensity of these hidden feelings Ichigo has inside."**_

_Hidden feelings? _Rukia began to ask inwardly. _What feelings?_

"…_**The very thing which seemed to have fueled my existence**__."_

_Is Ichigo hiding something? _The question finally danced inside her mind.

"_**Shall I demonstrate? …One of Ichigo's most innermost desires…"**_

Rukia felt her cheeks grew hot. She could still vividly remember how Ichigo's hollow's mouth became so close to hers that if the impossibility of the notion wasn't present, she could have sworn that the crazy hollow was going to…

…_was going to… _She repeated to herself and squeezed her eyes shut.

…_going to…_

…_to…_

"NO!" Rukia suddenly burst out loud as she countered her own logic. "There is no way, NO ABSOLUTE way that hollow is going to do what I think he was about to do." She briskly paced here and there as she stubbornly fought the obvious. "There is no way that Ichigo would even have that kind of _'innermost desire'_. No sir, not to me he won't have _that_ desire." She laughed nervously and grasped the knob of Ichigo's door. "Our relationship is completely platonic. COMPLETELY PLATONIC, you hear!"

She stomped back inside Ichigo's room and closed the door behind her. Her eyes glanced over the sleeping teen. Even in his sleep, Ichigo had a frown etched on his forehead that Rukia couldn't help but to wonder if he was really getting some rest.

"Murder intent probably and most likely since human is prone to it." She murmured as she strode towards her things which were now scattered everywhere, no thanks to Ichigo's Dad.

"Good thing Kon isn't here." She rubbed her temples.

_[--insert past scene of Kon limply drowned in tears as Yuzu dragged him as they left for camp --_

Rukia could almost imagine the perverted stuffed animal peeking from the closet as Ichigo's hollow undressed her gigai. Upon thinking about it, her face grew hot once more and her arms automatically wrapped herself in a jolt.

Forget about Kon, what about what Ichigo's hollow saw?

Rukia's face was all red as she squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.

"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU TO HELL!"

A mixture of fury, embarrassment and shyness overcame her as she gritted her teeth. Furious because she felt harassed and taken advantage of; embarrassed that the blasted hollow had seen all of her which would greatly contribute to shyness.

Shyness because it was the first time her body was seen by a guy, to that extent.

Shyness because she was not really that all proud of her physique. Not exactly something like what Matsumoto Rangiku has.

Shyness…because it was Ichigo who had seen it.

Rukia shook her head. "Get a grip. That hollow isn't Ichigo. Definitely NOT him." She opened her eyes and looked at the sleeping teen on the bed who didn't even stir even though she had been very loud. "Not him…" She whispered.

"_**He and I are the same. We are one person."**_

The crazy white hollow's words echoed within her.

"… _**given Ichigo's and my current situation, it is only right to say that he is me…and I am him."**_

Rukia's shoulder's drooped down. A sunken feeling overtook her. It was obvious that Ichigo and his hollow's consciousness were different. Ichigo doesn't have any memory of what his hollow side does, so how could they be the same person?

She knew this and shouldn't worry. So what if the cocky hollow saw everything? It was not like he was another human being. A hollow was just a hollow and nothing more. Defeat them and that would be it. They would permanently disappear.

_Right?_

Somehow this notion wasn't calming Rukia's nerves. It was confusing how her logic was being overruled by her instinct. Something within her kept telling her that this was more than meets the eye. Kurosaki Ichigo was not a normal human. Later on, they all found out that as a shinigami, he was not normal either. And now, as a hollow, he was starting to turn out quite different. _Insanely different._ Sure he possessed characteristics the same as any hollow would…

…berserk, violent, blood-thirsty, and destructive.

Yet...with reasoning?

Twisted but it was definitely there. A mind that could analyze, a body that could execute techniques which required more than physical strength, a personality which was slowly getting more dominant than Ichigo's.

"Just what are you exactly?" Rukia murmured.

She thought she had finally got it all down. If there was anyone who would know Ichigo more, she was confident that she would be that person. Though, she had met him not so long ago compared to Tatsuki and Inoue, but after all the things they had gone through, she believed she had seen many sides of Kurosaki Ichigo more than anyone else had.

"Or so I thought." She eyed the teen in question who was still very much in deep slumber.

Every shinigami that became a hollow never came back to their sane self, nor did their hollow side act like how Ichigo's hollow had been acting.

"If it was like any other hollow, I would have been dead by now." She deduced to herself. As much as she hated to admit, she wasn't exactly someone that could be considered as powerful. Her zanpakutou was nowhere near the possibility of being in a released state nor was she a ranked officer. Although after the incident in Soul Society, it became evident that her older brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, had been hindering her promotion, being herself today she doesn't have confidence that she could take on enemies Ichigo and Renji had been fighting. She was above average in kidou but kidou wasn't enough to own the battlefield. Even Hinamori Momo had been clever enough to incorporate her zanpakutou with kidou, being someone who greatly excelled in the art; hence, making her land to fuku-taichou position.

Although, many told Rukia that all was not lost, considering her ordeal which hampered her growth, she was advised to take things slowly and recuperate. Ukitake-taichou was confident that she would eventually discover her true skills and thus, release the power of her zanpakutou.

This notion made the petite shinigami irritated.

"I was told to rest but assigning me in the mortal world again doesn't exactly count as resting." She pointed out as if someone could actually hear her. "Much less facing an ultimately dangerous hollow." She released herself from her own hug and stomped towards Ichigo's bed. "How can I recover and train if you recklessly plunged yourself into another pinch!" She placed a hand on her hip and pointed the other towards the teen's sleeping form. "You're lucky you mean so much to me! If it was another person, I wouldn't have bothered!" Then, she realized that what she said could be easily misunderstood. "In a friendly manner, that is." She added. "And nothing more!"

Rukia scowled and stomped back towards the closet. She started collecting her things and refused to analyze Ichigo's hollow any further. She was tired and the damned nightgown was nowhere near comfortable.

"Why do women wear this kind of clothes anyway?" She muttered under her breath as she briskly stuffed her things inside her bag. "I would rather sleep in a yukata than this."

Then as she continued picking up her discarded things, her eyes fell on something caught in the debris. It was the note Ichigo's hollow left on top of her gigai that morning. She examined the piece of paper and even marveled at the fact that the hollow could actually write. In that moment, an idea struck Rukia.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of this sooner instead of pouting all morning?" She quickly grabbed Ichigo's school bag and fished out one of his notebooks.

She turned the page and placed Ichigo's hollow's note beside one of Ichigo's scribbling, determined to compare the two. It was said that no two people share the same handwriting. Near, yes, but exactly the same, no. It would be as reliable as fingerprint; only, it would be harder to distinguish especially if it was done by a skillful forger, but it was something an expert could tell.

"And I think I really need an expert's help on this one." Rukia remarked. "They look completely the same to me."

Indeed, the two handwritings do look alike. Could Ichigo's hollow be telling the truth after all? About him and Ichigo being one person? The raven-haired girl shook her head.

"No. There must be some difference." She nodded to herself. "These just need to be examined thoroughly." Surely, if the handwritings were different then this would greatly prove that the hollow was wrong, and that he and Ichigo were truly two separate entities.

Rukia's hold on the notebook tightened with her eyes full of determination. If that would be the case then she would be able to throw this argument back at the crazy hollow. Her face reflected raw triumph as a smile crept on her lips. "Kekeke…" She almost sounded abominable at her newly found counter.

Overall, something as small couldn't really be considered as a counter, but at least she had something underneath her sleeves to pull. It was better than nothing.

Then again, a small voice within her momentarily halted her moment of glee.

The plan could backfire at her. What if the tests concluded that the two handwritings were indeed the same? Would this mean that Ichigo and the crazy hollow were truly the one person?

"If that would be the case…" Rukia's brow twitched. "…then Ichigo would have some explaining to do."

She glanced back at the teen's notebook and the piece of paper from the white hollow. "I must get this for Nemu to examine back in Soul Society as soon as possible." And with a determined nod, she stuffed both in her bag and stepped out of Ichigo's room. "But first I need to find a place to safely store my gigai…far far away from that perverted hollow's clutches."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time Ichigo woke up. After a little disorientation, he tried retracing his steps on what happened the last time. With this, he could safely assume that he lost consciousness and eventually drifted off into a deep yet dreamless sleep after he stepped out of his room. For the past few days, his slumber had been hallowed and blank. It was as if a pure black mantel enveloped him throughout his sleep. He wasn't comfortable with it and often times he would still wake up exhausted as if he didn't close his eyes at all. During these moments Ichigo would find himself cursing Urahara, but then again, it was he who had placed himself in this predicament. The striped-hat merchant was only trying to accommodate his requests. He was warned, yet he still accepted it.

"Be a man, Ichigo, and face the consequences." He had told himself many times ever since the first transformation.

As he surveyed his room, everything was a total mess. The debris of his closet were scattered everywhere but as soon as Ichigo got up, he noticed that Rukia's things were no longer there. This didn't surprise him. He was counting on it after what happened that morning.

That morning…

"Why the heck was Rukia's gigai wearing that?" He muttered to himself as he started clearing the mess and tried fixing his closet doors. His frown was ever deeper as he stood at the very area where he threw Isshin which on that instant sent him back to reality. "Shoot! How is Pops?" Worry flashed in his eyes.

He bolted out and checked one room to another. He didn't have to look for long since he found Isshin lying peacefully on his own bed. Trust Rukia to even bother placing them both to their respective rooms.

"Pops!" Ichigo exclaimed and kneeled at the side of the bed.

Isshin was still unconscious which greatly alarmed Ichigo.

"Oi…Pops! Wake up! Pops!" He began to rock Isshin to get some reaction but there was none. Cold sweat started to trickle down Ichigo's neck as horror became evident in his eyes.

_Don't tell me… _He started to panic inwardly. _I really did overdo it. Did I paralyze him? Just exactly did I do anyway? _He was back to his previous question.

Morbid thoughts and disturbing conclusions filled Ichigo's head. He felt his world go round and round as worst case scenarios hastily swam his mind.

_What if he doesn't wake up?_

_What if he'll stay like this forever?_

_What if he did wake up and found out that he couldn't move his body?_

_What will Yuzu and Karin say?_

_No matter how immature Pops is, he is still our father._

_Our father…_

_How can I do this to my own family?_

Ichigo was getting drowned with horrible thoughts as he remembered Rukia's words that morning about the technique he used that he couldn't help but to shout exasperatedly.

"NO!" Ichigo remarked out loud.

"NO!" Isshin shouted as well which immediately halted whatever Ichigo was thinking.

"NOOOoooooo!" Isshin exclaimed once more as he suddenly bolted to sitting position with extended arms as if reaching for something but with eyes closed. "Give me back my pancake, Yuzu!"

"Ha?" Ichigo's mouth dropped open.

Isshin continued squirming. "No! No! Yuzu don't be so mean. Papa is only joking!"

Whatever worry Ichigo had been thinking completely evaporated as his father sleep-talked again and again. Irritation replaced his previous expression as he bald his fists with a nerve popping out of his temple.

"YOU OLD IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU DREAM ABOUT PANCAKES AT THIS TIME!" Ichigo hurled a punch straight at Isshin's cheek which threw him right smack to the wall.

_**---sfx: crash to the wall with bits of cement falling down to the floor---**_

Isshin's form was embedded to the wall with his hands twitching. On the other hand, Ichigo stood up and turned around.

"Hmph!" He remarked annoyed. "It was stupid worrying about you." He grumbled and placed his hands inside his pockets as he started to walk out of his father's room.

This seemed to have brought Isshin back to life. From the wall, he was instantly standing up with no trace of debris at all and rubbing his cheeks. "I think a mosquito bit me while I was sleeping." He casually said.

This irritated Ichigo some more.

"Oh, Ichigo…you're here." Isshin said as he noticed his son's presence for the first time.

Ichigo refused to look back, he just continued to walk. "Yeah. Yeah."

Isshin blinked for a moment then frowned. "What am I doing here anyway?"

Ichigo halted his steps. _Shoot! I was engrossed with his condition that I completely forgot about the incident this morning! _He slowly turned his head towards Isshin. His father was deep in thought and frowning. Not good. He has to think of something.

"We were talking in the roof and I told you about moving some things to your room…then…hmmm…" Isshin tried to remember.

"Uh…yeah…" Ichigo became nervous. How the hell was he going to escape this one? He couldn't just do _that _technique, could he? _No…_He pushed the thought away. He couldn't even remember what exactly he did, more or less doing it again. And even if he did, he couldn't keep doing that to his own father. He was going to take Rukia's word for it.

"Hmmmm…" Isshin's frown deepened. "I was climbing down the ladder…then…hmmmm…"

"Then?" The orange-haired teen waited anxiously.

"Then…"

"Then?"

"I FELL!" Isshin's face brightened. "That must be it! I fell! Hahahaha!"

"You fell?" Ichigo wasn't sure if he was hearing it right.

"Well…I couldn't remember anything after that, so I figured I must have fallen down the ladder." Isshin replied thoughtfully.

Ichigo was silent for a moment but immediately perked up as his father's deduction finally sank in. "Ha! Ha! You're right, Pops, you fell!" He reached towards his father and patted the older man's shoulders. "It was quite a fall. I was actually worried. Ha! Ha!" He laughed nervously.

"Really?" Isshin had suddenly become teary-eyed. "My beloved son was actually worried about his father?" The tears doubled. "I'm so happy!" He grabbed Ichigo in one very…extremely tight hug.

_**---sfx: Ichigo's bones cracking---**_

"I-get-it—al—ready...Now---let-me-g-o…Pops." Ichigo managed to say in between cracks of his rib cage. "Y-ou're—goi—ng-to-ki---ill—me."

"Oh, sorry." Isshin calmly released his son.

Ichigo was out of breath but it wasn't only because of the bone-breaking hug but also due to his mind racing. _Was it all a coincidence that Pops didn't remember anything? _He asked himself. _Or that technique somehow contributed with it? _ It was also possible that Rukia did her memory replacement thing, but if that was the case then Isshin should have had a weird recollection in place of what really happened. Yet instead, his father deduced that he might have fallen since he couldn't remember anything.

_Just what it is you did, Kurosaki Ichigo. _Ichigo found himself frowning deeper once more.

"Goodness! What time is it?" Isshin looked at his watch. "Haaaah! It's late afternoon!"

"Yeah, we've been asleep for a while." Ichigo replied.

"We?" His father cocked a brow. "Does this mean you weren't able to talk to the workers when I blacked out?"

"Err…sorta. I fell asleep, too. Guess I was exhausted with all the commotion." _Half-true, _Ichigo thought.

"Haaaaaaaaa?" Isshin remarked loudly. "Your stamina didn't hold out with such a little thing? Even your nerves? I'm disappointed, Ichigo. Where did all those years of training I've given you go to?"

"Years of training?"

Isshin started boxing and kicking the air. "Yes, my utterly physical training."

"You mean hitting me as you please for the past few years." He replied monotonously.

"You should be glad that I took the time to do it."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I'll go get some lunch ready." Ichigo ignored whatever ramblings his father continued to say and proceeded to go downstairs.

"Are you really going to be okay in the kitchen?" Isshin's doubtful tone called out to Ichigo.

"I'm just going to reheat some things. It's not like I'm going to cook anyway." Ichigo grumbled and went on ahead. _Besides…I still feel guilty about everything. _His eyes softened. _This is the least thing I can do._

* * *

After half an hour of grueling on Yuzu's reheating instructions, Ichigo and Isshin were finally able to eat a late yet decent lunch. His father contacted the workers and rescheduled everything for tomorrow. Ichigo silently prayed that things would go well the next morning. It was not good having outsiders lurking around their house with him in his _'little' _condition. The repairs in the living room should be done as quickly as possible. He should think of a counter measure, something that wouldn't involve Rukia out in the open. Ichigo hasn't seen the petite shinigami since that morning and he was sure she must be reporting to Soul Society by this time. He could still recall Rukia's furious face. He knew he didn't do anything to get her upset but somehow it felt like it was really his fault. No matter what he does, he couldn't get rid of the feeling.

"By the way, Ichigo…" Isshin suddenly spoke up as he turned the TV on.

"Hmmm?" The orange-haired teen replied absent-mindedly while chewing his food.

"I had this crazy dream earlier." His father continued.

"Crazy dream about pancakes." Ichigo replied annoyed.

"Ha! Ha! That, too." Isshin cheerfully remarked. "But that was something that happened at the end of my dream."

"Really now." Ichigo said uninterested.

A wide smile started to creep on Isshin's face. His eyes were twinkling as he picked up a spoon and pointed towards his son. "Come to think of it, I don't think it is that crazy."

"Hmm…"

Mischief was all over Isshin's façade as he made sure to see what his son's reaction would be once he spilled everything.

"I dreamt that you eloped with a girl and have been living with her for quite some time now!" Isshin finally said which made Ichigo choke on his food.

His father continued as Ichigo grabbed a glass of water. "Hahaha! It was really something! In my dream I caught you sleeping with her!"

"WHAT?" Ichigo was finally able to swallow properly.

"Yes!" Isshin remarked happily. "It was some sight. I didn't exactly catch you doing it…"

By this time, Ichigo's face was beginning to turn ted.

"…but I do catch her sleeping on your bed wearing a very skimpy nightgown." Isshin nodded his head.

Ichigo didn't know how to react in this particular situation.

"But I got angry because you've kept it from me." His father's shoulders fell. "Something this important you were able to hide from your old man?"

_Don't tell me he is actually remembering it? _Ichigo wondered to himself.

Isshin's happy expression was replaced by a sorrowful one as he stood up and leaned across the table with his face inches away from Ichigo's. "How could you do this, Ichigo?" Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "How could you leave me out? I would gladly accept any woman you'll love. The life of my future grandchild depends on it!"

"Grandchild?"

"Yes!" Isshin clasped his son's hand. "How long will make your old man wait? When I am going to see my grandchild? I'm not getting any younger, you know."

"I AM ONLY FIFTEEN! How could you ask something like that!" Ichigo retorted.

"But at the rate you are going, I doubt if women will come flying towards your direction." Isshin replied with a very serious expression on his face. He crossed his arms as he sat back on his seat. "They would only end up running away from you with that scary face." His father looked at him thoughtfully. "Why don't you smile once in a while?"

"I do smile!"

"But not without that intense frown." Isshin motioned to the area between his eyes.

"This is how I am and this is how I will ever be." Ichigo retorted.

"I don't recall you smiling that way to your mother before."

Upon saying this, Ichigo looked down on his plate silently. Isshin immediately realized his mistake. "I'm sorry. That was way out of the line."

Ichigo looked away.

"Well then!" Isshin perked up once again. "I don't mind if you bring home a grandchild for me from now on. Ha! Ha! Ha!" One heavy hand landed on Ichigo's head and ruffled the orange hair, almost making Ichigo's face land on the half-empty bowl of soup in front of him.

This seemed to bring Ichigo back to his old self. "Stop asking for stupid things!"

"Asking for a grandchild is not stupid." His father grinned as he stood up to place his soiled plates in the sink.

"It is if you are asking a highschooler!" But alas, Ichigo's qualms were sent to the oblivion as Isshin appeared to be whistling and not listening to him any longer.

"Che!" Ichigo stood as well and began to clear his area. _What a troublesome father._ He thought, then on reflex gave a quick glance at the area where his mother's picture used to hang. _Smile like that, huh? _He closed his eyes. _I think I already forgot how to do that._

"Say Ichigo, could you turn up the TV. I want to hear the news." His father called out.

"Ah." He picked up the remote and turned up the volume.

Late afternoon local news became evident as father and son went by to do their small chores. They were all common; traffic accident, law debate by government officials, housing projects approved. They were things that came passing through Ichigo's one ear then out the next. So with a bored expression, he went to the fridge and opened a can of soda.

"Nothing's new, Pops. Same 'ol same 'ol." He drank from the can and was about to change the channel when something unbelievable came up in the news.

**[news broadcast**

"**Theft in a lingerie shop in Nagasaki Prefecture was reported last night."**

"Nagasaki?" Ichigo eyed the announcer. "Why would people from Kurakara be interested in something which happened all the way from Kyushu? This isn't exactly a national network." He took another sip of his drink, prepared to switch the channel any moment now.

**[the news report continued**

"**It was no ordinary theft or rather it was a peculiar theft when the thief was only interested in getting one item from the shop. What's more is that the thief was reported to be a very scary character carrying a huge life-size blade on his back which greatly alarmed the people inside the shop. Here is a still capture from the surveillance camera." **

This made Ichigo spray soda from his mouth towards the television set.

Before him a still image of his white hollow self was smiling insanely towards the surveillance camera as if it knew what the thing really was.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ichigo dropped his drink, uncaring if it spills all over the floor, and grasped the television set. He stared at the mirror image of himself except for the white face, irises and crazy grin.

The image shrunk towards the right side of the screen and the newscaster became evident once again.

"**According to the saleslady who attended to this person, it wanted the new lingerie in the window display. The saleslady, not exactly sure of the scary character's motives asked what size it would like to have. The shop owner, however, was alarmed at the huge sword it carried on its back that she immediately contacted the police."**

Ichigo was gaping. _Lingerie… _

_**[---image of the sexy nightgown Rukia's gigai was wearing that morning flashed inside his mind. ---**_

"What the hell? Ichigo, the TV is dripping wet!" Isshin's voice brought Ichigo back to reality.

"Wha…what?" He replied absent-mindedly, then finally realizing that Isshin was pacing towards his direction. "Oh!" Ichigo quickly rubbed his sleeve on top of the television set to get rid of hazardous liquid that might penetrate the electronic device and at the same time, to block his father's view of the news report. His hollow side might be all-white but they still have the same face.

"**While this was happening in the background, the character dressed in all white demanded the saleslady to give him the smallest size available. But apparently, the saleslady needed more information to accommodate his request…"**

"Oi Ichigo, what are you doing over there?" Isshin was looking at him, bewildered at his son's sudden weird body language.

"Um, ah, nothing!" Ichigo quickly pulled the plug of the television set before his father hears more of the news report or worse, see the image capture from the surveillance camera.

"What the?" Isshin was startled at his son's brisk action.

Without looking at his father, Ichigo grabbed the TV and plunged outside.

"Oi! Ichigo!"

"I think I sprayed too much soda! It is better not to use it for a while and let it dry off outside!" He replied to his father as he scampered out of their house, leaving Isshin wondering what exactly happened just then.

Once outside, Ichigo was panting. He held the TV tight in his arms with his face pressed on it. Images started flashing inside his head one after another in a fast rhythm.

…that morning with Rukia's gigai on his bed.

…the lingerie it was wearing.

…his face close to Rukia's at sunrise on the rooftop.

…his hands touching something.

…someone?

…?...?

…?...?...?...?

…!...!

…!...!...!...!

**…!...!...!...!...!...!...!**

…and then…

"_**W-we…need your girlfriend's measurements, Sir." A scared-looking lady wearing the shop's uniform asked. "It is…that kind…of nightwear." She looked as if she was going to faint.**_

But Ichigo only heard a snicker in reply; that one familiar crazy chuckle which he dreaded ever since they went back from Soul Society.

The orange-haired teen was silent for a moment. His head was bent as he let the sun drown him. He paced towards the front of their family clinic and slowly placed the TV down on the ground as he, himself, crouched near their gate. His hands flew on his head and grabbed it hard. He bent forward, his face flushed as he shut his eyes. He continued to be in this position for quite some time until finally…

…in a whisper, he spoke.

"32-23-32."

He gritted his teeth and almost pounded his head on the ground. "Damn it." He cursed.

* * *

Somewhere at the slanted world inside Ichigo, a white hollow laid in relaxation on one of the buildings. He had his head propped up one hand while he swung his white zanggetsu casually by the white ribbon on the hilt. The same mad grin was carved on his face together with the white irises of his eyes which greatly reflected craziness and violence.

He seemed to be looking at a mirror which was showing someone's feet with orange hair covering most of the view.

"One hour to go till sunset." He said with a never ending smile. "Tick-Tack Tick-Tack…Ichigo." And with this, he insanely laughed which echoed all throughout the slanted world, making the windows of the buildings shake in synchronization.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Finally! I was able to update this. To be honest, this chapter had been three fourths finished for quite some time now. But for some odd and unfortunate reasons, it kept being held up from getting updated. Anyway, to all you Bleach fans who like this fic and would like this to get updated faster, since using a poll is a bit overruled considering that my other readers from other fandom/stories always win, we've come up a new scheme. My thread in Gaia Online (url found in my profile) had hit one hundred pages and I've given the privilege to the one hundredth page first poster to choose which fic gets updated next. It was suggested by the regulars to do this and to continue doing it every 10 pages. Hence, not only will it promote activity within the thread, it would give chance for people who like to read other anime fics (namely Bleach and Gakuen Alice) to get their favorite story updated.

As of today, July 14, 2007, it is currently in page 108. Two more pages to go before it hits 110. After uploading this, I'm hurriedly going to write 'Inc's next chapter since it was first poster of page 100 requested. I hope before the thread reaches page 110. I'll be able to accommodate that poster's request.

That would be all.

R and R Onegai Shimasu!


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